2013 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix

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Alex.
He was talking about a back marker in front of him. It's incredible how so many people misheard this, including Brundle.
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Backmarker or Webber, he doesn't need to say it. Backmarkers jump out of the way 99 times out of 100. If it was directed at Webber, surely he knows it would fall on deaf ears.
 
I didn't hear Vettel telling his team to keep Webber off him. I only heard Vettel tell his team about Perez, making sure he gets out of the way quickly.
 
Heroic drive for Grosjean that... had to shut down at the end.

Rundown:

1st Vettel: I dare anyone to say he didn't deserve that. Struggled with tire wear early on, almost lost the race when he collided with Hamilton, nursed his first set for several laps too long, then overtook Grosjean handily despite Romain being on tires only eight laps old.

2nd Webber: Almost, mate. Almost. Three stop almost gets him the win, but he couldn't close the deal on Grosjean when it mattered.

3rd Grosjean: Heroic drive at the start to take the lead. Heroic drive at the end, too, but Lotus got the strategy ever so slightly wrong. Would have been nice to see him win. Still... best drive of the day.

4th Fernando Alonso: Good race, but no way he would be challenging for a podium today.

5th Kimi Raikkonen: Horrible start to the race. Good work getting back up top.

6th Nico Hulkenburg: Another great result. The car just didn't have enough at the end.

7th Guttierez: First points ever. Sauber is really picking it up late in the season.

Nobody else matters, really.

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Biggest losers:

Lewis Hamilton: A "gap" suggests there's actually space to fit a car into.

Mercedes GP: Great weekend, huh?
 
niky
Heroic drive for Grosjean that... had to shut down at the end.

Rundown:

1st Vettel: I dare anyone to say he didn't deserve that. Struggled with tire wear early on, almost lost the race when he collided with Hamilton, nursed his first set for several laps too long, then overtook Grosjean handily despite Romain being on tires only eight laps old.

2nd Webber: Almost, mate. Almost. Three stop almost gets him the win, but he couldn't close the deal on Grosjean when it mattered.

3rd Grosjean: Heroic drive at the start to take the lead. Heroic drive at the end, too, but Lotus got the strategy ever so slightly wrong. Would have been nice to see him win. Still... best drive of the day.
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Vettel gets drive of the day from me.

Also, the icy atmosphere between Vettel and Webber just gets worse. Poor old Webber absolutely hates him.
 
I would say there was a gap to fit the car, issue was Romain and Hamilton went around Vettel at the same time. The horrid start made it possible for the gap Hamilton had and saw. The issue is he didn't anticipate Grosjean also having an epic start and passing Vettel at the same time. I don't really see where Hamilton is to blame.
 
tezgm99
My thoughts exactly. That, right there, is why Vettel has won titles and Webber has not.
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Uh sure...the two had vastly different setups and was a better set up for S1 and S2, Vettel had been much faster on the straight than Webber. This is clearly due to a using a more effect downforce than Vettel, the Lotus was better in the straight and obviously blocking.
 
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LMSCorvetteGT2
I would say there was a gap to fit the car, issue was Romain and Hamilton went around Vettel at the same time. The horrid start made it possible for the gap Hamilton had and saw. The issue is he didn't anticipate Grosjean also having an epic start and passing Vettel at the same time. I don't really see where Hamilton is to blame.
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As long as no one does a Grosjean (2012 version) at the start, it is hard to blame anyone during the first corner or two of a race.
 
So, if Webber wins the next race he wins the WDC.

I should also mention Hulkenburg, he really made the most out of the tires and he really fought to the end, he had a car with such and underwhelming pace, yet he managed to took it to the end, even with the blocking from Ricciardo in a few laps that sealed him some pace he has gained.
 
LMSCorvetteGT2
What alternate universe have I entered?
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ku-bigpic.jpg
 
Good race, mostly all done on strategy but another great drive from Vettel and Grosjean.

Dodzzz
Still, that kind of attitude that makes him booed.
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Yeah because no other drivers do that do they? You lot will come up with any reason to boo him, good to see the Japanese fans showing respect to all drivers.
 
Hey, Vettel had to race for this victory. That was one of the drives that people don't mind him winning (as much) because it looked like he had to work for it and battled drivers.
 
Alex.
I know how he did it, I was just remarking that we've watched Vettel win again. He's a brilliant driver but he never even considered overtaking on track. I don't see how keeping Webber mirroring Grosjean and Vettel's strategies wouldn't have kept him at least 2nd, wasn't worth the gamble in the end. Rocky knew they'd win it with about 30 laps to go.
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If you discount the fact he overtook Grosjean, then sure.
 
Can people stop saying Vettel cannot overtake. There have been quite a few races now where he has had to battle through the field and pull off some great overtakes. People are getting far too petty over him, he's driving the best car so well, he doesn't need to overtake people in races because he is beating them comprehensively and he thoroughly deserves the WDC.
 
Jimlaad43
There have been quite a few races now where he has had to battle through the field and pull off some great overtakes.
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Could you please provide sources to those claims.
The only overtake of note was going round the outside of curva grande to pass Alonso, two years ago. Races? This was merely tactically brilliant, the overtakes weren't execeptional but required and the speed was steady throughout.
 
LMSCorvetteGT2
I would say there was a gap to fit the car, issue was Romain and Hamilton went around Vettel at the same time. The horrid start made it possible for the gap Hamilton had and saw. The issue is he didn't anticipate Grosjean also having an epic start and passing Vettel at the same time. I don't really see where Hamilton is to blame.
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Perhaps. But he was already trying to split between Webber and Vettel... and Webber was always going to close that door. But yeah, not entirely Hamilton's fault.
 
JGreens
Could you please provide sources to those claims.
The only overtake of note was going round the outside of curva grande to pass Alonso, two years ago. Races? This was merely tactically brilliant, the overtakes weren't execeptional but required and the speed was steady throughout.
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Abu Dhabi 2012, Silverstone 2010, etc. Can you just start to accept that when someone says something good about Vettel, they mean it and we don't need your backlash against him just because you aren't a fan. GET OVER IT.
 
Hamilton won the race for Vettel today, after he crashed into Seb on the run into turn 1 he drifted wide into the path of Massa who was in the process of overtaking Vettel. If Vettel had been stuck behind Massa for most of the first stint he would've lost the race.
 
Peter.
David Hobbs said it well, Red Bull wanted Vettel to win that race. It was all Mark's had they ran him on a normal strategy. I guess there's always next season then, seeing Vettel having such an easy ride to title after title is really getting boring now.

Bit of a disgrace the way Vettel and the team treat Webber. Poor Ricciardo, is all I can say.
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Webber isn't as good on the tyres as Vettel, and couldn't get past Grosjean quickly enough, unlike Vettel. Nothing to do with how they "treat" him.
 
I don't think anyone in particular was at fault for the first corner incident, the way I saw it Vettel stayed quite straight and backed out of the throttle when he saw Hamilton coming through and Hamilton turned quite sharply because it looked like Webber was going to box him in. You could blame Webber but it all happened so fast, or you could blame Pirelli for making a tyre that punctures easily or the FIA for thinking such wide front wings are a good idea.
 
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Red Bull's strategy might not be the most ethical one, but that was simply brilliant:

-Grosjean first thought his direct rival was Webber and not Vettel
-BUT as the 2 stop-strategy is the fastest one, and with 3 stops you lose about 10 seconds, Red Bull led Grosjean to an epic "it's a trap" situation.
-This is the same as Abu Dhabi '10.
It's Red Bull's masterpiece.
 
I doubt that the 2 stopper was faster. Weber closed the gap to Grosjean very quick and then struggled with the overtake. If he would have gotten past him quicker, I am pretty sure Weber would have been able to close the gap on Vettel as well. Pace wise the 3 stopper seemed quicker to me.
 

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