1) Valencia produces habitually poor races
It was supposed to be a street circuit that illuminated the backdrops of its beach and marina, great vantage points to see some F1 cars flying around the Valencia track. But sunbathing would have even provided more entertainment after watching a pitiful race that only had the Alonso/Webber second place fight to thank. The sharp, slow corners yield for good traction, a distinct part of Red Bull's pace, but straights are often curved and are often difficult to position the car for an overtake. There are no fast corners either, but unlike Monaco, the track does not have the decadence nor an iconic section of the track that appeals to the drivers.
Bernie Ecclestone indicated on the BBC one of the two Spanish races - possibly Barcelona - may leave the F1 calender. That could be a rueful decision as the Catalonia racetrack has been a servant to the sport since the 1980s and is possibly provides more of a challenge to the drivers. Lets see how this one unfolds.
2) Red Bull have up to second over the field
The Milton Keynes outfit's advantage is staggering, a clear advantage not seen over the field since Ferrari's dominance from 2001-04. Yesterday's victory from Sebastian Vettel signified utter deflation among his rivals, and even from his teammate Mark Webber, who lies over three race victories behind the German.
The car's key advantage is the off-throttle exhaust gas blowing - an aerodynamic function that blows hot air over the Red Bull's floor and out of the exhaust when not pressing the accelerator - thereby increasing downforce, and consequently, grip. In qualifying the car's potential is maximised with Vettel's pole positions this season are often between 0.5 secs - 0.9 secs. Valencia, a track of few overtaking opportunities, made his car advantage extremely ominous for Ferrari and McLaren as he won the race by around 20 seconds over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
Things, however may turn around, as engine mapping (between qualifying and race) and hot exhaust blowing are now banned from Silverstone onwards, the next race. Engine mapping was a useful tool for Red Bull as it allowed them to change settings of how much fuel would be distributed out of its engines.
3) Hamilton is ruffled
Lewis Hamilton's was not his worst. But neither was it a race that extracted the very best of his gifted skills. His McLaren on Sunday was like a dog trapped in a mud as it struggles to gain momentum from a standing spot. Traction was a real headache as Hamilton and Button struggled with rear tyre management. Hamilton lost two positions at the start to the Ferraris, but while he covered off Felipe Massa's threat in the pitstops, Hamilton's pace never matched Webber's nor Alonso's.
The team concentrated in front wing downforce, in hindsight a mistake as a lack of low downforce at the rear punished and overheated their tyres. Silverstone's fast layout will mean rear-tyre degradation will have less factor, a strength of the Red Bull, so it will be interesting to see what new updates McLaren will bring to the table.
4) Button still hasn't mastered qualifying to be a serious title contender
6th on the grid translated into the same position in the race, Jenson Button needs to produce on a Saturday if he is to improve his feint hopes of recapturing his world title he won in 2009.
The reverberating theme is the McLaren is achieving good balance in practice and in the first two parts of qualifying, but cannot replicate the form when it matters on Q3.
His race craft has always shone in changeable conditions, but his form in dry races has been inconsistent. He has been mingling with the Mercedes in during races, rather than the Red Bulls, an indication of his lack of competitiveness. Button made a nice overtaking move on Nico Rosberg early in the Valencia race, but lacked pace to challenge Felipe Massa in 5th.
5) What's the point of having Hispania?
23rd and 24th positions - the lowest ever placed finishes in the history of the sport - belonging to Narain Karthikeyan of Hispania Racing. They are on average 10 seconds a lap off the Red Bulls and it is hard to understand there objectives in the sport. Yes, a 13th and 14th place finishes in the Canadian GP may mean they could climb above the Virgin Marussia team in the Constructors Championship, but it will matter very little if they are unable to challenge the Toro Rossos' or Williams' in the near future.
The team have had financial difficulties arriving onto the scene, and effectively treated qualifying the first F1 race in Australia as a shakedown due to lack of pre-season testing. And during races, the leading drivers have been seen making hand gestures of their obligatory blue flag move-overs. It is hard to see what they do offer as a racing entity.
No comments:
Post a Comment