The Official 2017 Spanish Grand Prix Thread **Spoilers**
Discussion
cheddar said:
hairyben said:
Yup, although being on softs it would have felt marginal on stint length what suprised me was not getting vettel in during vsc for his mediums. Then pitting him at racing speed. Like wtf?
Only one lap difference and Lewis set fastest lap of the race right near the endAgreed on Ferrari making the strange choice to pit Vettel at race speed rather than at VSC speed
HTP99 said:
swisstoni said:
<puts on Columbo raincoat>
"Dere's one thing dat's bothering me..."
Why didn't Hamilton fight back immediately after he was passed at the start?
Was the Ferrari just faster or did Hamilton/Merc immediately decide to stand off and wait for strategy. Was it just not worth fighting at that stage?
I imagine he was looking at the bigger picture, why go for it and possibly have a crash, when later in the race there may be a better opportunity."Dere's one thing dat's bothering me..."
Why didn't Hamilton fight back immediately after he was passed at the start?
Was the Ferrari just faster or did Hamilton/Merc immediately decide to stand off and wait for strategy. Was it just not worth fighting at that stage?
LH struggled to keep in touch and said so on his radio.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
The track temperature also rose markedly in the hour before the start, I think at that stage of the race with high ambient temperatures and a full fuel load, the Ferrari can switch its tyres on and was simply the faster car.
LH struggled to keep in touch and said so on his radio.
Bottas struggled even more, he never looks to get a grip of the car at any stage in the race which was disappointing.LH struggled to keep in touch and said so on his radio.
The Surveyor said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
The track temperature also rose markedly in the hour before the start, I think at that stage of the race with high ambient temperatures and a full fuel load, the Ferrari can switch its tyres on and was simply the faster car.
LH struggled to keep in touch and said so on his radio.
Bottas struggled even more, he never looks to get a grip of the car at any stage in the race which was disappointing.LH struggled to keep in touch and said so on his radio.
jsf said:
He could have knocked the front steering out slightly in the first corner touch with Kimi, that's enough to lose the pace he did with these cars, which are working in very fine margins.
Got a fair chance of some damage. I'm also starting to get the impression the Merc is a hard car to get set up and to push hard. Hamilton was certainly having to work very hard yesterday and needed smart strategy to get the win. And he just couldn't get the car working in Sochi - is possible that Bottas had similar issues yesterday?
So it seems likely, going forward, that if the Ferraris break free at the start they will leave the Mercs behind, requiring strategy to get them out of trouble.
Or, otherwise chew at the rear ends of the Mercs in case they make an error.
Either way makes for an uncomfortable season for Merc.
Or, otherwise chew at the rear ends of the Mercs in case they make an error.
Either way makes for an uncomfortable season for Merc.
Hungrymc said:
jsf said:
He could have knocked the front steering out slightly in the first corner touch with Kimi, that's enough to lose the pace he did with these cars, which are working in very fine margins.
Got a fair chance of some damage. I'm also starting to get the impression the Merc is a hard car to get set up and to push hard. Hamilton was certainly having to work very hard yesterday and needed smart strategy to get the win. And he just couldn't get the car working in Sochi - is possible that Bottas had similar issues yesterday?
It was Bottas's cautiousness that caused that first corner prang IMHO.
Bottas critics. Valterri had an old PU which was less powerful from the off than the revised one Hamilton had. Also, as it had done four races already, there was always a question mark over the reliability.
He did bottle it in turn one but I don't think he was responsible for the collision which took out Raikonnen and Verstappen- Verstappen chose to take the tempting but risky outside line but it backfired as it often does.
A great race and an interesting result down the grid. Superb for Force India and Wehrlein in the Sauber.
Great to see two Mclarens running reliably, and even one of them passing a Williams on the straight.
Nobody has noticed Vandoorne so far but people are so quick to condemn him after one mistake. I hope he doesn't make Button look good in Monaco.
Does anybody else think Hamilton's athsmatic radio messages were a bit exaggerated? Practicing for his future acting career? It's not just the way he was speaking but the fact that at times he was holding the radio button down and breathing into it between messages. Why? The other drivers did not sound as though they were struggling so much and I can't believe Hamilton is much less fit than the fittest out there.
The other thing that puzzled me about Hamilton is how he's so creepy around Vettel, going on about mutual respect between competitors, even where Vettel ran him wide in the style we have become accustomed to tolerating in modern F1... he was ecstatic after the race and barely mentioned it. If anything like that happened with Rosberg he'd have had a face like a slapped arse and would've been coldly explaining that he would be discussing it with the team etc etc.
He did bottle it in turn one but I don't think he was responsible for the collision which took out Raikonnen and Verstappen- Verstappen chose to take the tempting but risky outside line but it backfired as it often does.
A great race and an interesting result down the grid. Superb for Force India and Wehrlein in the Sauber.
Great to see two Mclarens running reliably, and even one of them passing a Williams on the straight.
Nobody has noticed Vandoorne so far but people are so quick to condemn him after one mistake. I hope he doesn't make Button look good in Monaco.
Does anybody else think Hamilton's athsmatic radio messages were a bit exaggerated? Practicing for his future acting career? It's not just the way he was speaking but the fact that at times he was holding the radio button down and breathing into it between messages. Why? The other drivers did not sound as though they were struggling so much and I can't believe Hamilton is much less fit than the fittest out there.
The other thing that puzzled me about Hamilton is how he's so creepy around Vettel, going on about mutual respect between competitors, even where Vettel ran him wide in the style we have become accustomed to tolerating in modern F1... he was ecstatic after the race and barely mentioned it. If anything like that happened with Rosberg he'd have had a face like a slapped arse and would've been coldly explaining that he would be discussing it with the team etc etc.
You have to wonder if Bottas had an issue after the turn one coming together.
It was a good hit and he pace after this was poor.
The fight between Vettel and Lewis was great to see. The Mercedes clearly has the advantage when it comes to straight line speed. Vettel had to work extremely hard to be able to pass Bottas on worn tyres while Hamilton "ok on the faster tyre" just drove past like Vettel was in the McLaren.
Hopefully things will close up again.
Red Bull were a huge worry. Ricciardo was no where.
The rest of the field were basically nowhere compared to Lewis, Vettel and Bottas. Hopefully this will all close up in the future but this was the best Spanish GP in a long time.
It was a good hit and he pace after this was poor.
The fight between Vettel and Lewis was great to see. The Mercedes clearly has the advantage when it comes to straight line speed. Vettel had to work extremely hard to be able to pass Bottas on worn tyres while Hamilton "ok on the faster tyre" just drove past like Vettel was in the McLaren.
Hopefully things will close up again.
Red Bull were a huge worry. Ricciardo was no where.
The rest of the field were basically nowhere compared to Lewis, Vettel and Bottas. Hopefully this will all close up in the future but this was the best Spanish GP in a long time.
I think Lewis has always been pretty shrewd when stuck on the outside. This was the source of much of Rosbergs frustration, he didn't seem to know when to fight and when to back out (having put himself in the brave but extremely risky position of being on the outside line - and also struggled to take an authentic line to the outside in order to squeeze the driver on the outside). Lewis fought hard but conceded at the right time, Seb had that exchange won.
Have to say, I don't find the Lewis / Seb situation cringey at all, I'm enjoying the battle and hope it carries on through the season. Its made all the better that they are in different cars with differnent strengths and so they also have to manage / live with strategy etc as opposed to this "lead car gets first stop" stuff we've had for a few years.
Have to say, I don't find the Lewis / Seb situation cringey at all, I'm enjoying the battle and hope it carries on through the season. Its made all the better that they are in different cars with differnent strengths and so they also have to manage / live with strategy etc as opposed to this "lead car gets first stop" stuff we've had for a few years.
HustleRussell said:
.....
He did bottle it in turn one but I don't think he was responsible for the collision which took out Raikonnen and Verstappen- Verstappen chose to take the tempting but risky outside line but it backfired as it often does.
That's just what I meant, with Bottas backing out it left the door very slightly open for Kimi and Max, tempting enough to have a go that led to the contact. They are all racing for inches of track at that first corner and Bottas threw them a couple of feet.He did bottle it in turn one but I don't think he was responsible for the collision which took out Raikonnen and Verstappen- Verstappen chose to take the tempting but risky outside line but it backfired as it often does.
Edited by The Surveyor on Monday 15th May 16:44
The Surveyor said:
ELUSIVEJIM said:
........
Red Bull were a huge worry. Ricciardo was no where.
.
Did you miss the bit where he was kissing his trophy on the podium and spraying the champagne, I'd say he did rather well!Red Bull were a huge worry. Ricciardo was no where.
.
Leroy902 said:
I think it's becoming pretty clear now ferrari have a better all round car than the Merc. Let us not forget that if Vettel goes on to win the title, and everyone comes on to claim the Mercs (Lewis) lost this year's drivers championship with the best car.
Not possible to call IMO, especially since the pre-Catalunya upgrades. The Mercedes is more reliable and will likely be better in the wet.Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff