909 replies to this topic

[vietlol]

http://tazio.uol.com...1/textos/17843/

jumpstart in slo-mo

[_R_]

http://tazio.uol.com...1/textos/17843/

jumpstart in slo-mo

amazing how much of a lead he got practically leaving .15 of a second eariler than everyone else...;

[vietlol]

“Bridgestone's technical manager Hirohide Hamashima spoke post-qualifying in China about the big variation in tyre usage he was seeing between different cars - and between team-mates in the same cars. “

Of the top cars, the Red Bull was taking the most out of its tyres, the Ferrari was by far the kindest. One McLaren - Jenson Button's - was almost as good as the Ferrari in its tyre usage; Lewis Hamilton's car was almost as bad as the Red Bulls.

From the wear rates Bridgestone was seeing in the practice sessions, it was unlikely to have lasted much more than 15 laps on the most aggressive usage, with a possibility of up to 30 laps for cars that were gentler on it.
In other words the Ferrari was likely to have been able to use the faster tyre for up to twice as long as the Red Bull, had the race been dry. “

http://news.bbc.co.u...../8629477.stm]

[_R_]

http://news.bbc.co.u...../8629477.stm]

i believe it... I mean Alonso twice this season has pretty much come from the back (his spin on turn one & drive through pentalty) of the grid and finished just off the podium...

and button vs lewis in tire management is quiet obvious

[Nacho]

and button vs lewis in tire management is quiet obvious

I still find it amazing that they're at nearly the opposite end of the spectrum for tire life, in the same car.

[DrDickAction]

I still find it amazing that they're at nearly the opposite end of the spectrum for tire life, in the same car.

tortoise/hare I guess.

[Nacho]

tortoise/hare I guess.

I actually said that to my friend last weekend.

Jenson is just cruising around at 98-99% of Lewis' pace like it's no big deal, and using the same tires FOREVER with no issues, while Lewis is constantly complaining about his going off. Jens did what, lke 57/64 laps on the softs in Aussie-land?

[vietlol]

problem is, in the dry he cant keep up

we saw it in malaysia, lewis started behind and on a bone dry track finished ahead of button

[Redliner]

problem is, in the dry he cant keep up

we saw it in malaysia, lewis started behind and on a bone dry track finished ahead of button

it was bone dry in China during quali and Button beat him. I can't write off Button for pure speed after just 1 race, considering he has won 2 out of 4. Unlike Kimi, Button is showing a lot of hard work & heart to not only challenge but beat Lewis. I'm def. a fan of Button but have never considered him a top tier driver - if he keeps it up, this might change my opinion.

[chiuey]

Formula 1 stewards must be tougher, says Martin Brundle


Highlights - Chinese Grand Prix

By Martin Brundle
BBC F1 analyst

It was a great pleasure to witness the supreme skills of the all the drivers, but especially the McLaren duo as they claimed a great one-two for the team at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Jenson Button's victory was superb and, despite enthusiastically lauding his championship performance last year, I now realise I'm guilty of underestimating him.
He has now out-qualified Lewis Hamilton 3-1 in the four races so far, won twice and leads the world championship by 10 points. Mind you, he might not have won in Shanghai if I'd been a steward as you'll read later.
The conditions were challenging in the extreme and it was spitting with rain on the grid as the cars started on slick dry tyres. Button, Rosberg, and the two Renault drivers Kubica and Petrov benefitted most from having the confidence to stay out on dry tyres during the safety car period at the end of the first lap.

ANDREW BENSON BLOG
Both of Button's victories have shared similar characteristics, in that they hinged on making the right calls on tyres in races in mixed weather conditions
The intermediate tyres are softer this year and they are no longer the 'miracle tyre' which can bridge from very wet track conditions to a drying racing line.
When it rained properly and everybody took to the 'inters', the high-speed nature of many of the corners took a heavy toll on wear rate.
When the centre part of the contact patch wore virtually to slick it would have been so easy to snatch a brake, jump on the throttle too hard, lock the rear axle on downshifting - or run half a metre wide and sail off the track.
When the rubber wears thin the main issue is not water clearance but loss of surface temperature.
Button locked his breaks in the closing stages and ran wide at the Turn 14 hairpin; he never recovered the temperature and grip again and only just beat Hamilton over the line.
The way the two McLaren drivers approached the race under Shanghai's changeable skies was very different. Button made another canny tyre call and as a result he made two stops fewer than Hamilton.
What stands out for me is how calm and mature Button is these days. He's so comfortable in his own skin. I asked him in our 'red button' programme in Oz how he compared that victory with last year's. He was treading carefully but explained that last season he had the best car to win races and this year he doesn't necessarily have the best car and is still winning races. I believe that's why he's so satisfied and happy, he feels fully accomplished.
It was a fighting drive from Hamilton in Shanghai and he was truly spectacular as he came through the field. He has now made 32 competitive overtakes in just four races.
Because of the pit stops and the two safety cars - "I seemed to go three places forward and two back", he said afterwards - he simply had to attack, and he's currently easily the best in the business at that. But Button is outsmarting if not outpacing him for now.
Button, Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who took third for Mercedes, were all worthy of their podium places and their consequent places in the championship.
Rosberg led the race for a long time and finished a competitive third after keeping his head at the end against Fernando Alonso's looming Ferrari.
He admitted he didn't think he could hold Alonso off and you can understand why Mercedes were cracking open the champagne for his second consecutive podium.

Schumacher frustrated after difficult race

Unfortunately, it was Michael Schumacher's worst weekend so far for the team. He was three-quarters of a second off the pace on the grid and, despite the safety cars closing up the field, he was 50 seconds behind Rosberg at the flag in conditions where he used to excel.
It's getting uncomfortable all round, and much depends on the Mercedes update for Barcelona now to recover Michael's confidence, pace and credibility. I still have the faith.
The curious second safety car - for debris on the track - made the race in many ways as it closed the pack back up. At that point, Hamilton was almost 50 seconds adrift of Button and Alonso another 20 seconds further down the road.
Alonso had a stroke of luck. He jumped the start wildly but his inevitable drive-through penalty didn't really hurt him as much as normal because of the safety cars and multiple tyre stops. He was aggressive when he needed to be but he couldn't make the overtakes stick like Hamilton.
Red Bull locked out the front row with Sebastian Vettel on pole ahead of Mark Webber but burnt their tyres out too quickly and their pit calls were a day late and a dollar short. They clearly have handling issues in those conditions.
I'm baffled by this as they have so much grip and downforce in the dry. Maybe the car is very stiffly sprung, but it doesn't appear to be especially so over the bumps and kerbs.
They just didn't have real pace even before their tyres lost interest and Hamilton caught and passed the pair of them as though they were standing still at one point.
The Renault looked driveable enough as both Kubica and Petrov did a very good job with the same engine, and this confirms that Red Bull's underlying wet track problems are with car set-up. I think they would have run away with a dry race frankly.
After the brutal and sometimes unfathomable penalties of the past few years we now seem to have swung the completely other way. I don't believe McLaren were guilty of an unsafe release when Hamilton nearly clouted the side of Vettel's car.

Hamilton and Vettel go side by side down the pit-lane
The lollipop man cannot watch everybody else's pit stop and second guess how much wheelspin his man will get on wet concrete.
But the subsequent driver behaviour down the pit lane was positively dangerous. Vettel shoved Hamilton towards the wheel guns and mechanics, albeit long after Hamilton should have yielded. They both received a reprimand, but what does that mean? How long does a reprimand last and how many are you allowed to collect before a real penalty?
They are lucky I wasn't the resident driver steward for the weekend because I would have strongly recommended dropping them both some penalty places on the grid for the next race in Barcelona. The decision taken has set a very dangerous precedent.
I'm more relaxed about side-by-side action into the pit lane entry, where no person or equipment is in the road. It has been interpreted before that this is against the rules.
On that subject, Alonso passed Massa with a cunning move into the pit lane. How did Ferrari recognise that so quickly and swap Massa's tyres, which were already in the pit-stop area, for Alonso's so they could be fitted first?
Finally, I would also have recommended at least a flaky reprimand if not a drive-through penalty when Button unreasonably slowed the pack for a safety car restart. It was a clear breach of the rules unless he could demonstrate that the safety car had been unreasonably slow entering the pit lane.
I wouldn't have been a popular steward with my former McLaren team but that job is not a popularity contest. Ask any referee.

[chiuey]

The Gravel Trap
Tuesday, 20 April 2010 00:00

It’s the Asian Grand Prix!

With their cars currently stuck in Shanghai because of the Icelandic volcano and its big ash cloud, the F1 teams have agreed to take part in a race that will not only provide excellent competition but at the same time get them back to Europe.

Bernie Ecclestone has come up with a one-off Asian Grand Prix, running from Shanghai to Athens, using the 7,000km Silk Road.

Despite initial concerns over tyre wear, the teams have agreed to contest the race, which will start on Wednesday and is due to last until Friday night (or a week next Thursday for the HRT squad).

The route, which is mostly desert, goes from China, through an awful lot of countries with names ending in ‘stan’ before pitching up in Greece, where a ferry will be waiting to take the cars to Barcelona.

The only team expecting problems are Virgin, who reckon that their fuel tank will only see them as far as the Shanghai ring road.

Rob Sinfield also writes for www.GrandPrixDiary.com

[MrHahn]

I think I officially hate douchilton more than 2006 Alonso.

[chiuey]

it appears that many F1 drivers are vacationing in Thailand at the moment, well here's a bit of news for you all since I am in Bangkok.

My office is very near ground zero of all that has been going on with the protests and what not. We were just informed by the head of security in out building that power will be shut off in the area and suggest that we evacuate the building in the next hour. Will be interesting to see how this pans out and find out who else is stranded in Asia until Barcelona...

[vietlol]

big trouble in little thailand~

this is with the red shirts right?

[_R_]

I still find it amazing that they're at nearly the opposite end of the spectrum for tire life, in the same car.

I wonder how they are on brakes...
I've mentioned this before, but my driving style i'm super easy on tires, but I eat brakes for breakfest...

[DrDickAction]

it appears that many F1 drivers are vacationing in Thailand at the moment, well here's a bit of news for you all since I am in Bangkok.

My office is very near ground zero of all that has been going on with the protests and what not. We were just informed by the head of security in out building that power will be shut off in the area and suggest that we evacuate the building in the next hour. Will be interesting to see how this pans out and find out who else is stranded in Asia until Barcelona...

[Redliner]

I wonder how they are on brakes...
I've mentioned this before, but my driving style i'm super easy on tires, but I eat brakes for breakfest...

Get better brake pads

My stock pads I've managed to kill in ONE 20 min track session But the Carbotechs will be on their 5th track day when I go next time The type of car matters too though. A buddy of mine in an STi (heavier) can only extract 2 track days out of the same Carbotech compound.

[Nacho]

I wonder how they are on brakes...
I've mentioned this before, but my driving style i'm super easy on tires, but I eat brakes for breakfest...

As mentioned, that sounds more like a compound issue than a driver issue. I haven't seen too many people who are real hard on brakes, but not tires.

Do you left foot break?

[_R_]

Do you left foot break?

up until a few years ago, yeap... pretty much after i got rid of my GTI i changed over to right foot braking...
i thought it was weird too, until i got my motorcycle, went through 2 brake pad changes and when i sold my bike, the guy thought i was kidding about still being on my original tires...

[DrDickAction]

up until a few years ago, yeap... pretty much after i got rid of my GTI i changed over to right foot braking...
i thought it was weird too, until i got my motorcycle, went through 2 brake pad changes and when i sold my bike, the guy thought i was kidding about still being on my original tires...

Do you race people to be the first at a red light?

[Redliner]

Maybe you overlap the brake & gas pedal too much when LFB. We need some telemetery!

[Nacho]

up until a few years ago, yeap... pretty much after i got rid of my GTI i changed over to right foot braking...
i thought it was weird too, until i got my motorcycle, went through 2 brake pad changes and when i sold my bike, the guy thought i was kidding about still being on my original tires...

LFBers tend to drag the brakes slightly.

[chiuey]

big trouble in little thailand~

this is with the red shirts right?

yeah it is.

Turned out nothing happened... AGAIN. I would expect that if the head of security in my office building comes to tell us something is going down, then his sources would be credible. I had to back up the office servers and lug a few HD's home with me all for nothing... :diaf:

[DrDickAction]

yeah it is.

Turned out nothing happened... AGAIN. I would expect that if the head of security in my office building comes to tell us something is going down, then his sources would be credible. I had to back up the office servers and lug a few HD's home with me all for nothing... :diaf:

http://news.blogs.cn...bangkok/?hpt=T2

[Redliner]

Chiuey, your ass needs to report in!