Jenson Button scored his first win for McLaren in his second start for the team at Melbourne.
The world champion made an early switch to slick tyres on a damp track which paid dividends. But once again Sebastian Vettel lost the lead with an apparent car failure on his Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton endured a frustrating race in the other McLaren. He made an extra pit stop in the later stages of the race and was hit by Mark Webber two laps from home.
Hamilton recovered to take sixth behind Nico Rosberg, who he passed earlier in the race with a brave pass around the outside of turn 11. Hamilton had been as high as third earlier in the race.
Button led home Robert Kubica who scored a fine second for Renault, and Felipe Massa who spent much of the race defending from team mate Fernando Alonso.
Webber ended the race in ninth after his collision with Hamilton. He had briefly led but delayed his switch from intermediates to dry tyres, dropping him down the running order.
Vitantonio Liuzzi scored points for Force India again with seventh ahead of Rubens Barrichello.
And Michael Schumacher claimed the final point after a long recovery drive after he hit the spinning Ferrari of Alonso on lap one. He spent much of the race trying to find a way around Jaime Alguersuari’s Toro Rosso, and claimed tenth place with a late pass on Pedro de la Rosa in the dying stages of the race.
Full report and analysis to follow.
2010 Australian Grand Prix
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 9:05
A disgraceful strategy from Mclaren for Hamilton. Button did not deserve this win. Hamilton would have had him if wasn’t made to stop from 3rd place. Hamilton drove a fantastic race and passed more than anyone including Button. Hamilton robbed of a victory AGAIN. SHAMEFUL
CraigF
28th March 2010, 9:07
Button choose a cunning strategy, he deserves this victory just fine.
And kudos to Kubica, I was so excited that I couldn’t sit down for the last few laps :)
Uncle
28th March 2010, 12:09
I can see why this guy calls himself Cabbage, what an utter vegetable he is.
urbet
28th March 2010, 13:57
though there is some method in the madness of his comment, I agree… av a day off cabbagesVScarrots!
Marc Connell
28th March 2010, 9:08
We all know hamilton can win with mclaren, but jenson also deserves a win. I just hope from now on mclaren can get both drivers on podium :)
Just hope this doesnt cause arguements or fallouts inside mclaren, that would make them have a bad season.
Prisoner Monkeys
28th March 2010, 9:11
Actually, Hamilton wouldn’t have gotten close. His speed when he caught up with the Ferraris was the result of his having fresh tyres, which he wouldn’t have had since he wouldn’t have pitted. He might have gotten past Kubica for second, but Jenson just kept dialling out his lead – he’s incredibly gentle on his tyres, while Hamilton takes a much more aggressive approach. If Hamilton hadn’t pitted, got himself into second and tried to push, he probably wouldn’t have had any rubber left by the end of the race.
M
28th March 2010, 9:23
“He might have gotten past Kubica for second”
He tried multiple times, Kubica was just doing a great, faultless job there.
fernando
28th March 2010, 9:32
Robbed? Oooh, that´s too much to say. Hamilton doesn´t care the tyres as Button does, imagine….Hamilton burns the tyres even when he is not at the circuit and then is stopped by the police. :) Sorry Hamilton fans.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 10:26
Hamilton had to fight all the way in the slipstream of cars ahead, with a damaged front wing, who did Button have to pass to get his win?!
Hamilton had the pace to take Kubica for 2nd and was lining him up for a pass when he was bizzarley called into the pit. Whitmarsh knew Lewis would have reeled Jenson in and most certainly passed him as he did earlier in the race.
Hamilton chances were sabotaged by his own team! because golden boy Button appeals better to sponsors and certain powerful people in F1
This is not sport, its politics!
phoros
28th March 2010, 10:39
“Had the pace to take Kubica…” And even tried several times. LOL
DC
28th March 2010, 14:21
This is starting to sound like all the Hamilton fans when Alonso was with McLaren. Maybe they should have kept Heikki.
PeriSoft
28th March 2010, 16:54
Isn’t there some ‘9/11 Truther’ forum you should be at right now?
Kie
29th March 2010, 0:43
haha, well said… what a balloon!
Weasel Chops
28th March 2010, 17:11
Nice Alonso-esque quote at the end there from a Hammy fan :D
JUGNU
28th March 2010, 9:34
agree 100% cabbagesVScarrots
Unlike Button, Ham actually passed Button on track. Button was just lucky that his gamble paid off and later inherited first place when Vettel dropped out.
Mclaren’s poor strategy costed Hamilton at least a certain second place and i read from some websites he is very angry with the team and threatened he will find out who is responsible for his strategy.
Mouse_Nightshirt
28th March 2010, 9:41
Button made a call. Luck helped, but skill was equally important.
Too many people continue to write Button off. I suggest you reserve judgement for now, because there really is no need for the incessant Button bashing.
Arhn
28th March 2010, 9:50
Come on guys. I’m not a Button fan, but he had the guts to be the first to wear the option tyres even if no one was sure about the weather. He deserved his victory even though he was not the fastest guy on the track.
JerseyF1
28th March 2010, 13:52
This is the best thing I’ve read in ages! Hamilton’s drive was great, his strategy poor and being taken out by Webber twice in one race a disgrace for Webber. But by any stretch of the imagination for anyone to think that McLaren deliberately scuppered Hamilton’s race I would have thought beyond the stretch of even a deranged mind. This suggestion even goes beyond what the paranoid Alonso suggested was going on when he was Hamilton’s team-mate!
Monkzie
28th March 2010, 21:11
I absolutely agree. If Button had gone off the track even worse than his first corner slip, or put his McLaren into the wall because of his tyre change gamble, then this post would have been full of comments criticising his stupidity at changing tyres so early.
The Button fans would then have been outraged at the ‘strategy-call’ that disadvantaged him – i.e. McLaren making him change his tyres so early, totest the track conditions, before changing Hamilton’s tyres.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 10:08
Hamilton has every right to be angry with Mclaren and specifically Whitmarsh. They deliberately handicapped him in order to give Button the win.
Of course Button would have better tyers, he didn’t have to pass anyone in anger, Hamilton fought all the way, with a damaged front wing!
Button is not in the same league as Hamilton and it is sad to see drivers being handed wins in this overtly shameful way.
Having said that, a great race in comparison to the last one and Hamilton, and Kubica, gave an outstanding show proving what an amazing talent Hamilton is, given half a chance.
Arhn
28th March 2010, 10:22
I don’t think McLaren would handicap Hamilton. I acknowledge that if Hamilton (and Webber) didn’t pit, they would have been in front of the 2 Ferrari’s. In other words yeah, Hamilton strategy’s sucked, but I think it was just a (big) mistake from the team, not some kind of conspiracy against him.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 10:32
It is laughable to call it a “mistake”. I dont even you believe that…
With stops, you make a “mistake” in the timing of when you call your driver in.
There was no reason on earth to call Hamilton in at all, other than to push him farther down and away from Button.
We were robbed of a chance to see Hamilton and Button fight one on one and many of us know why that is!
Arhn
28th March 2010, 10:52
My point is that I don’t understand why would McLaren try to avoid a one-two finish (considering that Button was in any case far ahead Kubica). As James_mc wrote just under my comment, I also believe that McLaren thought that Alonso, Massa and Kubica would stop to change their “old tyres”. So in a way, yeah i think it was a “mistake”.
In any way, we all know what Hamilton is capable of and the MP4-25 is a very good car. So cheer up mate, I’m sure Hamilton will win other races ;)
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 11:06
what you say might have been true if Hamilton was behind the Ferraris and not fighting with Kubica for 2nd position.
Why would they bring Hamilton in when he was faster than all the people around him, fighting for position and when they didn’t know what strategy his competitors had anyway? it doesn’t make any sense, it doesn’t even qualify to called stupid!
It was clear that Lewis had the measure of Kubica and Button and would have won this race if Whitmarsh hadn’t stepped in for the rescue…
steph
28th March 2010, 11:00
“Hamilton has every right to be angry with Mclaren and specifically Whitmarsh. They deliberately handicapped him in order to give Button the win.”
You have got to be joking. Mclaren aren’t going to cost themselves points
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 11:23
Whitmarsh made a decision to give Button the win, because he knew he would not be able to hold on against Lewis.
This was not about points, but image. Whitmarsh is thinking long term about team sponsorship, advertising and shareholders. Button presents a more palatable image to the F1 ‘fans’ and sponsors because of demographics and what he is. Hamilton’s image was tarnished last year, through no fault of his own, by Mclaren’s bad decision making at this very race track and has had a torrid time in the gutter British press..
Whitmarsh is sacrificing Hamilton to curry favour and please the powers that be, who are essentially prejudiced and with whom Lewis’ success has never sat well. The blue eyed Button however presents a more appealing image to the vast majority of F1 people, hence this clumsy shuffle to give the win to Button…
steph
28th March 2010, 11:28
Mclaren are there to win and race not to make good posters. I’m sorry cabbages butb that does Mclaren, Button and Lewis a disservice in my opinion. Mclaren want to win and have always let their drivers race, Button wants to win as does Lewis and Lewis can’t win them all.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2010, 11:48
Cabbages – That’s just nonsense. It was a mistake, but there was nothing malicious about it.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 12:05
The Mclaren you’re describing is that under Ron Dennis in a completely different environment to what we have now. This is no longer the case.
With Dennis and TAG’s Mansour Ojeh and complete backing of Mercedes, Mclaren had far more financial autonomy and gave their drivers equal chances and didn’t have to cuddle up to Bernie, shareholders as Whitmarsh has to now. He has to play the field in very tough financial environment and Button image gives him a more appealing sales leverage than Hamilton does. Its sad, but thats the reality today..
Hamilton’s image, through endemic prejudice, negative hyoe and unjustified press hostility, has taken such a battering over and over again over the past two years so much so that it Whitmarsh is having to handicap his best drivers in order to give the ‘fans’, sponsors and shareholders what they want to see, a Vettel, an Aonso or a Rosberg, essentially a clean cut white male that the majority can identify with…
F1 has given Lewis such a hard time and negative experience so that he is completely backed up against the wall and almost isolated in the sport and now within his own team. It is sad to see such a great young man, devoted to his family and sport and who has brought so much positive energy into F1, being broken down this way in order to pander to ignorance and prejudice..
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 12:25
Keith that is your opinion and I respect it although I dont agree with it.
I know I’m not making many friends here, but I love this sport and what it represents and strongly believe that what is going on is taking away credibility from F1 and in the long term damaging it.
This is not “happening” or a show as Bernie would like us to believe. It is a passionate technically driven sport. And we as fans have obligation to voice our concerns when we see politics and finance getting the upper hand on the race track.
Having said that I would like to thank you for being even handed and fair by allowing an open forum for people to voice their opinions, and that is all I’m saying here; my opinion and of course I could be wrong, in fact truly wish I’m!
We’ll see I guess :|
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2010, 13:39
Again, this is just total fantasy.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 14:23
Well, Lewis’s bizarre 2nd pitstop that hamstrung him and gave Button the victory was no fantasy!
Patrickl
28th March 2010, 15:18
Come on cabbagesVScarrots. I was stunned when they called Hamilton in too and I’ll agree that it was an utter blunder. Intentional though? I don’t buy that.
I think they saw Hamilton was stuck behind Kubica. Kubica is a driver who’d rather ram people off than be passed anyway so they tried for a strategic pass.
With the new tyre changes, the driver who changes first gets a huge advantage. So they probably gambled that Kubica would need to come in later too.
Dumb but, still.
gDog
29th March 2010, 4:41
cabbagesVScarrots
“This was not about points, but image. Whitmarsh is thinking long term about team sponsorship, advertising and shareholders.”
And what do you think gives the better image to potential sponsors:
a) a McLaren 1-2 finish, with drivers in either order
or
b) a McLaren win with the 2nd car someway down the field??
Pat
28th March 2010, 23:16
@ “Of course Button would have better tyers, he didn’t have to pass anyone in anger, Hamilton fought all the way, with a damaged front wing!”
If Hamilton had been “at the races” nad nailed it in quali instead of still feeling the after effects of Jet Lag because he didn’t turn up in Melbourne until Thursday after being in LA with guess who – he wouldn’t have been in that situation where he had to fight his way up would he ?
ashes1991
29th March 2010, 23:17
@cabbagesVScarrots, I am a big Hamilton fan and a Big Button fan, so I am not going to be biased to either of the drivers.
Do you think that McLaren really would pit Hamilton just to make sure he didn’t catch Button and possibly overtake him? I’ve seen repeatedly that McLaren want the constructors championship, do you really think they would cost them selves 10 points?
Secondly, did you watch Hamilton’s car come into the pit lane? You could clearly see wear on his rear tyres, maybe not a lot but could u imagine what they would be like after say another 10-15 laps?
Personally I think it was a great race, and from this I hope that Button has started to prove his critics wrong! Great call from him and a great race from him!
James_mc
28th March 2010, 10:31
Button made a brave call, a calculated risk and it paid off. As for Hamilton ruining his tyres, I think that they were surviving just fine, but the team took him in under the expectation that the trio of Kubica, Massa and Alonso would either come in or their tyres would begin to go off majorly.
kowalsky
28th March 2010, 12:49
button deserve the victory. Hamilton destroyed his chances on saturday.
Gwenouille
28th March 2010, 13:22
Yes, Hamilton, starting 11th was robbed of a clear victory…
Erico
28th March 2010, 13:37
An explosive problem is already brewing at Mclaren.
MigueLP
28th March 2010, 14:23
no do the mats and see
MikkOwl
28th March 2010, 20:38
I think your conclusion has major flaws. It looks biased but I am not in a position to tell you what your motives are. Here are some comments on what you have posted in this thread:
1. McLaren car good. Hamilton did not qualify into Q3.
2. The front wing damage, if existant (I tried to see the damage but could not find any missing pieces) was inflicted by Hamilton doing a bad overtaking move (which could have punctured the rear right tire of the other car). Damage must have been minimal judging by lap times.
3. Alonso qualified well, and while being slightly slow off the line was first taken out at the race start to find himself last at P22, and from there managed to drive himself back through the whole field to P4. That’s a lot of overtaking and some great driving considering the conditions (most of it done when it was raining) with only a single tyre change (I believe?). I did not count how many cars passed, but must be comparable to Hamilton if not more.
4. On several occassions, I saw Hamilton make mistakes and falling behind whatever car he was trailing. I think they were failed overtaking attempts. I also recall seeing some instances where he overtook them in such a bad way that he himself lost the position by the next turn or two.
5. I saw Button perform only one mistake, braking too late on the first lap of the soft tyres in the wet.
6. Renault worse engine and car than McLaren, Red Bull & Ferrari. Kubica drove without a single mistake through the whole race. Despite making his soft tyres last almost the entire race despite being heavily involved in fights for position, managed to keep the speed up despite all, and most impressively, put up excellent defense against the overtaking moves of faster cars behind. I was certain he was to be overtaken at any moment, but he kept fighting and held it together.
7. The tactic to change Hamilton’s tyres was probably based on: fast car, driver good at overtaking, tyres worn out from the aggressive driving with continous failed and successful overtakes, especially behind the impressive Kubica, and seeming clear that there would be no more position gains unless something was done about it. Unknown strategy of others also a factor. It is easy to have hindsight after seeing the outcome, but that is not known beforehand.
8. The conspiracy and the motives for it: There probably is some racism. Probably not at McLaren. Probably not at the sponsors. If at the sponsors, their desires to discriminate weighs far less than the gains (for McLaren in the manufacturers championship, and for the sponsors) of race performances. Formula One Management pays ********* of money to the teams according to manufacturers championship results. Sponsorship value is mostly rated by exposure in the media, and that is gained by winning or podiums. I don’t know what kind of sponsorship you think that Button would bring to the team that Hamilton cannot. When Button was dominating the chapionship in 2009, it did not seem to bring much sponsorship to the team, Brawn GP. McLaren, with mixed ethnicity Hamilton in the lead, had by far better sponsorship.
Terry Fabulous
29th March 2010, 11:13
Mate they obviously called him in because they expected that Button, Kubica and the Ferraris would have to pit again.
If they had have…. Lewis wins, they didn’t… and he didn’t.
Have a cup of tea and relax
mfDB
29th March 2010, 19:12
Terry, your post could be the only post related to this Hamilton conspiracy and everything would be summed up just fine. Spot on.
Terry Fabulous
29th March 2010, 22:27
You are too kind!
Arpi_
28th March 2010, 9:07
Can’t wait ’til Malaysia. Hope weather will be with us!
bob
28th March 2010, 9:07
Cool race. Hope Schumi will be better in Malaysia, as Lauda said.
phoros
28th March 2010, 9:08
Wrong strategy for HAM? Maybe. But speaking of “deserving” in F1 is a little confusing… Cheers!
AmericanTed
28th March 2010, 9:11
Wow. What a race. I was pleased to see Button take the victory, but was disappointed with Hami’s demeanor re: the tire change strategy radio announcement. Vettel is a true champion, and it’s tragic that he’s been denied two first places finishes due to the RB’s lack of reliability. The world championship is wide open at this point and that’s a very good thing for F1. Time for some sleep.
statix
28th March 2010, 10:33
rue champion or not. maybe not. maybe it is a car (good only for few laps and Q) or maybe vettel runs it too hard :)
Cyclops
28th March 2010, 9:11
I must admit a laughed my ass off when Button went on slicks first, but it occurred to be a genius maneuver. Although it’s Kubica who deserved the “star of the race” simply EPIC defensive drive against raging Hamilton (in my opinion the second star of the race). Also Kudos to Alonso for rock-solid defense against Hamilton and Webber. All in all fantastic race, thank God we had rain.
Rits
28th March 2010, 9:54
100%.
Kubica drove like a star.
Button made a very intelligent call and it paid off, superb smooth drive too. Victory well deserved.
Alonso proved his metal yet again. Lewis drove great, but was unfortunate.
Great drive by Massa as well, his start was just perfect.
Another good drive by Liuzzi, while Sutil struck a chord with his misfortune yet again.
Vettel…ah, you gotta feel for the guy.
Mark was getting out of control under home race pressure.
Rosberg was good but not good enough for Lewis.
Rubens held his ground well.
Another one worth the mention, Karun Chandhok. Great effort to finish the race.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 10:54
“kubica drove like a star”!
Who did he have to pass? He didn’t even attempt to get close to Button but just held station in 2nd while people behind him where fighting for positions
He was where he was mainly because Hamilton had traffic in the pitlane on his 1st stop, another fab job from the Mclaren boys for their driver…
Kubica did well to hold on to second… i’m not sure if saw the same race as you people, its like being in a twilight zone
statix
28th March 2010, 11:22
you must be great macca fan :D
phoros
28th March 2010, 11:40
You’re payed for all these comments? Cool down, man (woman?)! You’re acting like… Lewis on track… (no offence)
James Brickles
28th March 2010, 12:20
“He didn’t even attempt to get close to Button but just held station in 2nd while people behind him where fighting for positions”
You say it as if Kubica had the exact car as Button and Hamilton. Just remember that Kubica is in a Renault, clearly a more inferior car to the McLaren (and the Ferrari for that matter). You can’t say he wasn’t trying.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 12:36
Granted, and maybe my statement was a little unfair given what you pointed out. I guess what I was trying to say is that hanging to second place does not equate to a stellar performance..
Terry Fabulous
29th March 2010, 11:23
Cabbages massive respect for you to come back on and admit you were a bit fired up after the race.
I can understand how disapointed you must have been, but good on you for coming back with less fire in your belly!
statix
28th March 2010, 10:36
I laughed too when i saw options on buttons car :) and was sure that will see him out of the track soon. He was one out but all in all it gave him a win! Great race :)
Electrolite
28th March 2010, 14:29
Cabbages – Kubica held off Hamilton and then the Ferraris in a clearly slower car for many laps. Dunno about anyone else but I thought he was stunning today.
theviewingfoot
28th March 2010, 9:12
Button deserved that win, what a cool call with his tyres a champs decision that gave him the edge.. and the way he kept his slicks in mint condition skill and a cool head… Hams and Webber lost their heads. Though it was wrong to bring Ham’s in he could’ve said no and called it like Hamilton did, he gave away control of his own race to the pit crew should really be the other way around.
Shumi will not be happy but i think he’ll have a strong second half of the season. But Nico has good points advantage over him, can’t see him giving that up without a fight.
TomD11
28th March 2010, 11:01
Yeah but from the radio it seemed like his crew had suggested that KUB (and MAS and ALO) would come in as well and if he could seize the initiative and pit first, it’s understandable that he went in.
Button took a gamble because he was ruining his inters and it paid off, rather reminded me of HAM in Monaco 08 where he pitted early because of the puncture and went on to win from it.
Stealthman
28th March 2010, 9:12
This race was amazing. Passing! There was PASSING! :P Easily a thousand times better than Bahrain.
Great stuff from Jenson, he really had the race under control in the dying stages. Shame though about Red Bull – Vettel’s car doesn’t seem to like him very much and Webber didn’t seem too happy at all in his interview after the race (given that it’s his home race, who would be?). I actually screamed when he and Hamilton collided, and my Mum told me to be quiet…
Still, very disappointed with what happened to Vettel and Webber. I hope Mark stays true to his word and RBR will bounce back.
Grats as well to Kubica – to get that Renault into 2nd must have been no mean feat. Massa’s looking good as well, he’s recovering beautifully from Hungary last year.
If this is the kind of racing we’ll see at most of the races this season, I say brng it on.
rampante
28th March 2010, 9:13
A good call and drive from Button. Hamilton got too excited and showed he can make mistakes others don’t. Only driver to be more excited was Webber.
Looking forward to the handbag throwing between Mclaren fans.
James_mc
28th March 2010, 10:34
Do I detect a hint of smugness there Signore? I agree whole-heartedly! :-)
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 10:38
What “mistakes” did Hamilton do. He was the class of the field. No one passed him and he passed everyone cleanly despite being hit twice by Webber…..
rampante
28th March 2010, 10:46
cabbagesVScarrots you should calm down. Hamilton did not have the courage or experience to make a call for tyres. He lost it behind Alonso and was very lucky only to lose one place. Remember Alonso was last at the end of lap 1 and still got valuable points. You may not remember watching races pre pit stops for tryes but the management of the sticky black bands is a very important part of racing. One up to Button.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2010, 13:41
When? I didn’t see him make any mistake behind Alonso. Webber just clattered into him.
rampante
28th March 2010, 14:05
trying too hard and not thinking. He did not lose the car but his head.
KlBD
28th March 2010, 21:37
The way I see it, it seems like after he made the radio call about the 2nd pit stop being a “terrible idea”, he figured his chances of overtaking Alonso were getting slim to nil, so Hamilton went for it. He realized the maneuver was probably botched and backed off, but by that time Webber had already pounced…
The rest is history.
steph
28th March 2010, 11:02
I wouldn’t say cleanly as with Massa there was contact but Lewis did do a superb job.
spanish senora
28th March 2010, 10:45
I dont think Lewis made too many mistakes!! He also overtook Button at one point.
Most exciting driver in the race.
wong chin kong
28th March 2010, 9:14
Mclaren did an injustice to Hamilton, asking him to pit for a tyre change. He was harrasing Kubica all the time and did not lose his pace. He asked on the radio why the team force him to change tyres. After the tyre change, he did catch up with Alonso, Massa but fail to pass them. He made a brave attempt to pass in the final stages but unfortunately got hit my Webber. Kubica did not change tyre even he had tyre degradation and so kept his position. Mclaren did a lousy team job!
Mouse_Nightshirt
28th March 2010, 9:44
Harassing is not passing. Lewis didn’t manage to get past the Ferraris on newer rubber, so it most definitely cannot be assumed that Lewis would have got past Kubica on tyres the same age.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 12:15
Well said Wong.
Mouse: Hamilton closed a gap of over half a minute in less than 6 laps to get behind the Ferraris after his ridiculous pitstop, while keeping crazy webber behind him. He would have passed Kubica in a blink…
SamS
28th March 2010, 16:37
But he didnt so give it a rest, Button won adn i am sure Hamilton will win soon
maestrointhesky
28th March 2010, 21:18
Hamilton would have had 30 laps to pass Kubica for second, rather than the 5 he had to pass the 2 Ferrari’s to get him back to second. Who knows what would have happened had Hamilton not pitted. I’m pretty sure 2nd for Hamilton (assuming he made the pass) would have been considered a good result by both him and the team and there may have been the sense to settle for second considering the battering his tires would have faced making those classic passes. People seem to think Hamilton can’t look after his tyres. The fact is, until this year he’s never had to. He seemed to do a pretty good job in Barain!
perveze7
28th March 2010, 9:14
good race by schumi , still salvaged 1 point from the race.
JerseyF1
28th March 2010, 14:03
Schumi’s race was shocking, both tactics and driving ability. Although he was unlucky with the first lap shunt, he ran behind Alonso after the safety car and look at the difference by the end of the race. 1 point is equivalent to about 0.3 points under the old points system – those crumbs are meant for the midfielders, not frontrunning teams.
OS X
28th March 2010, 9:15
This is the problem with Formula One, unfortunately. This was a great race solely because of the weather. In this race, the limiting factor for overtaking was driver skill instead of aerodynamic inefficacy. But this is just an aberration. Drivers make great races, not cars.
I think the drive of the day is split between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. I think the WDC will be either one of these two or Vettel. Button did well with his “silky smooth driving” (I owe Jonathan Legard about £5000 in royalties for using his signature quote). I’m still trying to figure out how someone who managed to have a first corner shunt, get overtaken by his team mate and have an off on an out lap managed to win the race, but it doesn’t have to make sense, it’s F1 baby!
Do you not get fined or penalised for causing an accident anymore? Button on Alonso and Schumi was a racing incident but Webber on Hammy was flagrant dangerous driving.
The most pertinent point to draw from this grand prix is a negative one. Cars that are 2-2.5 seconds faster in clean air on newer tyres (Webber & Hammy > Ferrari’s & Kubi) can not overtake in normal conditions. This does not augur well for on track action in the future races.
Lachie
28th March 2010, 9:39
*Alonso on Button and Schumi, FTFY
Alonso clearly cut into Button at the first corner which both the BBC and ONEHD (in Australia) said. I suspect (tho I could be wrong) that you’re a Ferrari/Alonso fan while I’m a Button/McLaren fan :)
leo
28th March 2010, 13:20
Uhmmm!! they say that at the BBC. Very credible!!
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 13:31
Even Marca said so.
And that’s like Alex Ferguson admitting that a referee may have made a CORRECT decision
Sportsman
28th March 2010, 10:07
“The most pertinent point to draw from this grand prix is a negative one. Cars that are 2-2.5 seconds faster in clean air on newer tyres (Webber & Hammy > Ferrari’s & Kubi) can not overtake in normal conditions. This does not augur well for on track action in the future races.”
Well said.Setting aside the the overtaking and other incidents,all due to the weather, that is exactly the same conclusion I came to.
Carl27
28th March 2010, 10:33
Just like in the old days. This was one of the best races I’ve seen in many years, it had everything, excitement, overtaking, drama.
statix
28th March 2010, 10:44
“The most pertinent point to draw from this grand prix is a negative one. Cars that are 2-2.5 seconds faster in clean air on newer tyres (Webber & Hammy > Ferrari’s & Kubi) can not overtake in normal conditions. This does not augur well for on track action in the future races.”
Thats not so easy. NEWER TYRES – yes, but worn during the chase after ferraris.
Hamilton reported big problems with tyres after getting ferraris.
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 9:17
Many congrats to Jenson on a good strategy call and a lovely controlled run to the line.
Otherwise, McLaren should be ashamed of the strategy call with LH and heads should roll for it. Track position is everything and once LH was brought in the Renault and the Ferraris were always going to stay out.
If I were Jenson Id keep making my own calls because if there’s a call to be made you can almost guarantee McLaren will get it wrong.
Yet this one wasnt difficult. If LH had kept his tyres and he’d had worse wear than Massa or Webber he would have still have been very likely to finish 3rd or 4th
It’s not good to rant on the radio about it but I can understand it and it’s a recurring theme with McLaren
JerseyF1
28th March 2010, 14:08
I think that McLaren are getting to much stick for their decision. Yes it was a bad one when it all played out, but bearing in mind that the great Schumi/Brawn combo made the same decision we can’t say it was the obvious decision. I suspected Kubica/Alonso/Massa might make the same decision, and it was only a couple of laps later that I realised that it wasn’t going to pay off.
JerseyF1
28th March 2010, 14:14
Just watching the re-run of the race, after Ham’s pitstop Eddie Jordan says “good strategy by the team” and “I expect this was a very good decision”.
maestrointhesky
28th March 2010, 21:34
I agree! the decision to leave him out in China 2008, despite Hamilton voicing his concerns effectively cost him the Championship in his rookie year! Remember he’s still one of the youngest drivers on the grid and he believe’s the team have the best intentions. He’s not got the years of experience that the older drivers have but I’ve no doubt he’ll develop that instinct with time. Button used a version of it today but I’m sure that was partly desperation rather than judgement. Fair play to him for making it stick though!
M
28th March 2010, 9:18
Kubica was doing an excellent job defending Hamilton in a much worse car! :)
Electrolite
28th March 2010, 9:20
What an amazing race. What really got me towards the end was Hamilton over the radio though, implying he’d been given an biased/unfair strategy when in actual fact Button had made his own. Absolutely thrilled to see Button obolish all the claims made against him before the season, and to see a Renault on the podium. Roll on Malaysia.
Scribe
28th March 2010, 9:20
Well first of all what a race from Jenson, justifies the move from Mercedes, and shows where his strengths in comparison to Lewis are. Obviously McLaren messed it in strategy, but even as a fan I don’t think he would have ever been able to pass Jenson.
Also, this McLaren does seem to have race pace, they still need downforce an more active suspension, but they’ll definatley be a threat for the championship.
Now to Lewis, he isn’t half the overtaker Jenson is, he’s to agressive. He had the speed to pass Alonso but was just to desperate, he’s got to learn calm intelligent passing, this is the biggest chink in his armour. It’s always controll with Lewis, I stand by the assertion that he’s the fastest guy on raw pace but Alonso an Button might not be able to out timetrial him but they do seem to be more complete racers, still Hamilton was running a comprimised car.
My my, poor Vettle, he’s the new Raikkonen. Riding a cardboard rocketship, poor guy has to win eventually. Eventually he’ll start loosing that P1, still making a fast car reliable an all that.
BasCB
28th March 2010, 10:07
I suppose Lewis was already feeling fired up after not making it into Q3 yesterday, and now they had him give up 3rd place to pit for new tyres and then tell him the 3 guys in front of him ar not going to stop.
He must have been really angry and lost his cool.
But yes, in different circumstances, that is what makes him so good, it is a character thing.
Webber must have felt something alike, after loosing enormously with the late change for slicks and the badly judged extra stop.
Prisoner Monkeys
28th March 2010, 9:22
You know, if Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton had each experienced the other’s race, you’d all be calling Button foolhardy and Hamilton masterful. But no, here it’s a case of Hamilton getting screwed out of a victory and Button simply being in the right place at the right time.
What are you going to say in the event that Button beats Hamilton in the end-of-year standings?
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 9:26
Hamilton wasnt ‘screwed’ out of a victory. He would not have been able to get by Jenson and would probably have been held in station had he passed Robert (driver of the day)
It was due to pure strategic McLaren incompetence that LH finished 6th rather than 2nd or 3rd.
Very surprised that Massa didnt get more of a nudge to let Alonso past. Alonso had the pace for 2nd place finish
fernando
28th March 2010, 9:40
Well finished 6th, he could finished 5th if he wasn´t so…….macho driver like i´m the boss Alonso, let me go. No no no, this door is closed Lewis. :D
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 10:35
Looking at the slo-mo, Lewis has a great chance at the next corner on the switch back.
But we’ll never know! Whitmarsh is on the BBC now defending the decision but I dont buy it. Maybe LH’s tyres would have suffered more than the other guys’ but, as we saw in Bahrain last week, it’s tough to pass anyone if your tyres are gone and everyone is driving conservatively.
McLaren just cannot think clearly enough when the pressure is on. The most costly example being China 2007
kapow
28th March 2010, 9:24
Overtake of the race goes to Di Grassi’s Virgin on Schumacher
Cyclops
28th March 2010, 9:26
I second that :)
Lachie
28th March 2010, 9:42
Yeah that was classic brought to mind Alesi on Senna :)
BasCB
28th March 2010, 10:02
I thought that was Glock?
James Brickles
28th March 2010, 12:30
Yeah it was Glock, had the red T-Cam on top. The BBC got it wrong ;)
fernando
28th March 2010, 9:26
Fantastic race, the final laps with Hamilton trying to overtake Alonso……ummmmmm….cream……Hamilton should know that he can play with everybody but not with Alonso. Hamilton will get depressed this year. Button deserved the victory, it took the right the decision. Brave. As well, Massa knows who is who in Ferrari, and in Ferrari everybody knows. And you – reading this- too. Alonso champion¡¡¡
OS X
28th March 2010, 9:28
Just watching the Red Button on the Beeb. Whitmarsh has admitted that if Hamilton hadn’t stopped for the second time, McLaren could have had a one-two. He also said that at the moment, in normal conditions, one car needs to be 3 seconds a lap faster to be sure of overtaking. So, McLaren allowed Hamilton to be disadvantaged to the order of half-a-minute; take all the life out of his tyres catching up the lost time and try to overtake two Ferrari’s just to get back to where he was pre-stop. That is farcical.
jocker12
28th March 2010, 9:29
Hamilton said Webber is ready to retire…. Webber got him out in the race…. Just kidding…. but Hamilton was all over the place trying to get Alonso, he attacked on inside and changed in the braking zone, on outside…. No way to avoid collision….
Three winners… Button, Kubica and Massa…. one of the best races in years….
BasCB
28th March 2010, 12:03
Webber apologized for hitting Lewis, still a guy to like with these kind of comments
KlBD
28th March 2010, 21:40
Almost figured Webber would have a bit of a temper after a disappointing home race, but in the end I’m pleasantly surprised by his attitude. Way to be a good sport Mark!
maestrointhesky
28th March 2010, 21:47
Has anyone ever thought, the reason Hamilton takes an unusual line when following other car is precisely because of the reason Webber shunted him. When you get close to the back of another car, the front wing doesn’t work so whilst it might not be the fastest way round the corner with a clear track, the jink before a bend when chasing allows him to maximise the downforce on the front wing and lets him pull the slip stream on the next straight. Maybe Webber could learn a thing or two!
Michael
28th March 2010, 9:33
fantastic job ;)
brilliant job – kub, ham and but :)
KUDOS !!!
many overtaking – anybody knows how many?
FLIG
28th March 2010, 9:33
I just can’t believe Hamilton fans are saying McLaren screwed it up for him… He would NEVER get to the finish line without changing his tyres… He is too agressive on his tyres, and that’s ok, he ended up reaching the Ferraris, and could have passed, but Alonso is, after all, 2 times world champion, not so easy to pass… And Kubica defended really well too, against both LH and Massa. This time I think it was down to driving skills, not car or aero.
M
28th March 2010, 9:58
For me, Kubica was like Prost in this race.
rfs
28th March 2010, 9:33
So… who’s your bet for the championship now?
bob
28th March 2010, 9:39
Fernando 1.
Vettel/Massa/Hamilton 2.
Varun
28th March 2010, 9:36
Can’t believe that Karun Chandhok actually was able to last till the end of the race…. Thats a nice job done by the Indian !
KNF
28th March 2010, 11:13
He did better than Bruno, which was a pleasant surprise… ESPN Star seems to support him as “our Karun”…
Rits
29th March 2010, 0:21
That’s ‘cos he used to be a co-presenter and analysis expert for Star Sports during F1 weekends…
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 9:39
Yes indeed. Huzzah for Chandhok and great job by Alguersuari against Schumacher
Varun
28th March 2010, 9:49
Yes indeed, Alguersuari did a good job against Schumacher. It seems Schumacher isn’t able to push as much as he used to in his younger years….
steph90
28th March 2010, 9:49
Button deserved this for sheer ballsiness. Kubica was stunning. Massa worked very hard considering he had so many issues. Fernando was just awesome and gets moment of the day for that radio :P
On another note big respect to Ferrari for letting their drivers race. I don’t want to see a driver get waved through, I want to see a scrap.If Fernando deserved the podium he should have overtaken. Alonso was amazing so I’m not doing him any discredit but Ferrari were criticised like mad in the past for letting drivers through and maybe they sacrificed some points but they went about this in the right way. Let’s face it-they were going to get stick either way and at least this gave us some entertainment and was fair.
BasCB
28th March 2010, 10:00
QOTD for Fernando, nice they have more radio for the viewers.
The comment by Lewis about tyre strategy was showing how angry he was with ending up behind Alonso.
Maybe it was good for Ferrari to keep Alonso at the back, Massa was having some trouble with his driving and maybe would not have been able to keep off Hamilton like that.
Nice show, it was worth getting up early for this.
xabregas
28th March 2010, 10:27
you´re right. Massa should thanks alonso for his 3 place. Great drive from alonso, Buton, Hamilton and of course KUBICA. It was a really good race.
Younger Hamilton
28th March 2010, 9:51
Fantastic race the best F1 race i’ve ever watched and brillant from Mclaren,Jenson and Lewis its such a shame that they screwed a possible 1-2 for themselves.Jenson,Brillant gamble and decision and excellent managing the tyres.Lewis,Great Bravery and overtakes Driver of the day no doubt about it.Lewis deserves at least 5th giving the bad events he’s had in the race i think the decision to pit lewis was good and bad it cost him 3rd or a possible 2nd and the good part was that he was putting in great laps to catch the ferraris, shame with the incident with mark though
BasCB
28th March 2010, 9:57
I think the biggest mistake of the race was for Red Bull to stay out that long. Had they brought Webber in a lap before Vettel, he might have been in front of Button or close too him instead of being behind Hamilton.
It was clear to see, that Mark was really gutted during some of those quick laps after the pitstop.
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 10:03
Absolutely
Webber was left out two laps longer than the other contenders
vet4snak
28th March 2010, 10:05
Hey Keith,
When you get the chance, tell Sebastian to dump Liz as soon as he can, and then go after either Kate or her dirty sister…
Overall, one word.
Gutted.
steph90
28th March 2010, 10:05
Petrov looked to get a fairly decent start again too.
Cyclops
28th March 2010, 10:32
Exactly, If he stops making simple mistakes he may as well find himself in top 10 soon. Together with Kubica they may give Renault a serious chance of challenging the big four, which is by the way, not a relevant term anymore. Renault’s future seems optimistic.
Dr Jones
28th March 2010, 10:13
Good drive for Button – he proved his critics wrong about his WDC. I guess the “silky smooth drivers” who takes care of their tires has an advantage over the aggressive racers now with the full fuel load this year.
Nice drive for Kubica giving hope for Renault.
Ferrari 3-4. Great drive for Alonso from 3rd back to 20th place then up at 4th – that’s what you call a “race of his life” (maybe Lewis should learn from him).
Too bad for Vettel, Hamilton & Webber.
Hotbottoms
28th March 2010, 10:14
I have mocked Button so many times, but I have to admit I was wrong about him (for now). Nice strategy call from him and nice driving.
Hamilton is fuming at his team as always. It seems like it’s too hard for him to understand that changing your tyres twice gives advantage also. It’s not like teams spend 25 seconds at pit stop for nothing. Sometimes the advantage is less than 25 seconds, some times it’s more.
AD
28th March 2010, 10:27
The championship seems to be between Vettel and Alonso, and since Vettel is dropping points and Alonso is picking up good points even at bad races, it seems that an experienced champion will get the better of another “over exuberant” youngster.
Captain Caveman
28th March 2010, 10:32
just a quick question, did button actually manage any overtaking manouvers on track (other than Kubica on out lap)? i saw him being passed a number of times but can only conclude that his early pitstop was the only differentiator.
can anyone else confirm? i am looking at the reruns but still uncertain.
Gusto
28th March 2010, 11:49
Button made no overtakes as far as I can see from the reruns. Hamilton chewed up Massa and spat Him out.
JerseyF1
28th March 2010, 14:29
Button caught and passed Kubica after the pit-stops.
BasCB
28th March 2010, 12:09
Yes, that shows how much F1 is about not overtaking ;-0
Button made a gamble when he was at a bad point – inters failing and just being passed by his teammate for 7th after starting 4th.
It payed out and he made the tyres work after making the crucial pass on Kubica.
But Hamilton (and Alonso) did a great job at getting through the field with passes and trying to pass.
A shame we did not see more of Chandhok, but good not to see him impeding anybody and getting to the flag.
Jhonnie Siggie
28th March 2010, 10:48
Great race. If Lewis wasnt in it, the enjoyability would have been chopped by 40 percent. Jenson clearly got desperate after Lewis passed him so he took a gamble and pitted. It worked for him and he came out looking brilliant. Lewis needs to stay calm like Fernando did today and realise it is a long season.
sumedh
28th March 2010, 10:49
Great race!!
And the best part of it was STEWARDS did not get involved in spite of so many collisions in the race. If this was 2008 or 2009, Australian GP would have set the record for maximum number of penalties handed out.
I guess having drivers as stewards is making the difference :)
Once again rains come to the rescue of formula one :)
ILoveVettel
28th March 2010, 12:05
I second everything you said Sumedh…
Osvaldas
28th March 2010, 10:56
Brilliant race, pity Vettel’s chances to win were dashed by Red Bull’s unreliability. Massa doesn’t deserve third place and well done for Kubica. Lots of action on the track. Although, Albert Park is narrower than Bahrain and the straights are shorter, it is better track and provided with action-packed race!
xabregas
28th March 2010, 11:11
Are you sure it was a problem with Vetel´s car or he just lost it ? Can´t for next weekend in Malasya. Usually there,the races are good with lots of overtaking
Hayden L.
28th March 2010, 11:17
I think Massa did what he can do best… agreeing that he made a lot of tiny mistakes and slowed down Alonso, but a mistake of Alonso caused him to get stuck behind Massa.
From then on, even the aggregate of all mistakes made by Massa would not be enough for Alonso to redeem himself…
Proves that a big mistakes is enough to not let him redeem himself. Afterall, team-mate battles are known to be conservative. Even if he’s faster, it would be hard to pass without a fight. That’s racing I guess…
Patrickl
28th March 2010, 15:13
Button, Kubica and Massa all just simply drove their laps. Nothing spectacular other than that they kept their noses clean in the first corner incident. Then they stopped first because they were too slow anyway and had nothing to lose.
They all did a great race or a average race depending on which way you look at it.
So, why doesn’t Massa deserve that place while Kubica gets your praise?
statix
28th March 2010, 15:37
Button: great decision to change tyres, risky as hell (he was out of the track) but all in all great tactic. Nothing more.
Massa: great start! And a little fight with Alonso.
Kubica: great start! great fight with hamilton. and after all he finished 2nd with a car far slower than all cars from “big 4”.
Patrickl
28th March 2010, 16:04
and your point is?
statix
28th March 2010, 16:16
you said they did nothing spectacular :)
they all did, more or less but spectacular :)
Patrickl
29th March 2010, 10:05
Well I said they kept their noses clean in the first corner :)
Marco
28th March 2010, 11:02
Raikkonen again with no points :/
statix
28th March 2010, 15:38
yeah, really a big DRAMA :)
Mel Hutchinson
28th March 2010, 11:03
Everyone is making excellent points about today’s race. I enjoy reading this board because it’s written by true fans. Everyone keep the superb comments coming. I think Lewis Hamilton probably would have finished second had he not stopped for tires. There is also the chance that he would have destroyed his tires in his attempt to overtake Robert Kubica and finished third or even worst. We can only speculate on the outcome of the race if team McLaren had attempted a one stop strategy. Even if Lewis had passed the Renault of Kubica I don’t see any way he would have caught and passed Jenson Button. One thing was clear today, the McLarens worked extremely well in clean air. We might also wonder how much better Hamilton’s McLaren would have been if his car hadn’t lost a piece of bodywork in an incident with Felipe Massa. We’ll never know if Hamilton would have gotten by Fernando Alonso in the final laps of the race because Mark Webber’s NASCAR driving style once again reared its ugly head. Fernando Alonso’s fantastic drive shouldn’t go unrecognized. After suffering a first lap spin in a collision with Jenson Button he recovered and finished fourth. One last point I would like to make is the lack of testing is not only a terrible thing for the development of the cars but it’s downright dangerous. In each of the first two races, Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull was dominating the race when mechanical problems ruined very likely race wins. A potentially catastrophic accident was averted after the front wing of Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber, which failed twice during practice and qualifying, failed a third time in the race causing him to take out Nico Hülkenberg’s Williams and Sebastien Buemi’s Toro Rosso. Thank goodness no one was injured because that crash sure was frightening. I feel the front wing problem could have been identified and corrected with additional testing. Let’s hope we don’t see these types of failures in future races. All in all the racing today in Melbourne was excellent. The Grand Prix of Malaysia can’t come soon enough.
Dorian
28th March 2010, 11:11
Was McLaren’s decision a mistake?…..maybe….maybe not. But – and this is directed solely at S Hughes and cabbagesVScarrots – to think that McLaren would deliberately jeopardise Lewis’s race so he wouldn’t beat Jenson is beyond pathetic!!! You two really need to get a grip.
It was a shame for Lewis given how great he raced. Potentially he may have got a podium – or perhaps he wouldn’t have. But regardless, he would not have have beaten Jenson today.
Personally, I can’t stand McLaren and maybe they did make a mistake but these conspiracy theories that always pop up by the likes of the aforementioned two contributors is farsical.
David A
29th March 2010, 1:17
I agree with what you said, Dorian.
Hyoko
30th March 2010, 21:41
I’d be really surprised if by the end of the year there hasn’t been a fistcuff or two at Macca… kiddie stuff
Alekandar_Serbia
28th March 2010, 11:15
Man i am so glad Butt’s got the victory, i will be a fan always, such a nice chap, hope he gets more this year! He is a worthy champion, just needs to adjust to the Mclaren, and he’ll be fine.
bob
28th March 2010, 11:27
Jeremy Clarckson was right- without beard Button is faster then with it :D
Awesome_race
28th March 2010, 11:27
Awesome race….was never a fan of jenson….but he convinced me that he can win races even if the car is not the most strongest in the grid. The gamble he took payed off, so i think he was lucky as well….I think hamilton was awesome as well till the accident happened with webber…some great overtaking by him. But the driver of the day for me is Kubica….getting second with such an inferior car is certainly an acheivement. One of the other best moments of the race was di grassi coming back at schumacher.But the main problem of overtaking still reamins a concern…we cant expect rain in every race…so they have to think of something to make overtaking possible even in dry conditions
Alekandar_Serbia
28th March 2010, 12:03
Yeah you are right there, there were lots of guys here claiming he is overrated, but i knew he will show his talent, he needs to get a drive in one of the four horsemen(Ferrari,Mc,RB orMerc) to put the stamp on it.
Gigantor
28th March 2010, 15:53
Obviously, you did not atch F1 last year. Lewis won GP’s in a car that was not the best,nor the fastest on the grid!
Gusto
28th March 2010, 11:42
On a scale of 1 to 10 for Mclaren pit strategy cock ups I`d give it an 11.
steph
28th March 2010, 11:45
Nurburgring 07 was much worse. Ham still got points at least
Gusto
28th March 2010, 11:53
China 07 cost me £30
steph
28th March 2010, 12:01
The China was much worse for you then!
Gusto
28th March 2010, 12:16
Iam still fuming, Ive sat and watched Mclaren make mistakes from HAK in Aus 98 to cant be bothered to find the year RAI at Hochenheim, but todays call for a second pit stop takes the biscuit, I could say what were they thinking but HAM was saying that down the radio before, to use a quote that made me laugh `Webbers NASCAR overtake ` oblitarated all hope off a podium finish. I feel that Ive seen this too many times, stop using algorithms and use some bloody common sense.
Gusto
28th March 2010, 12:59
Tell a lie
I remember Irvines 3 wheel pit stop in 99.
Gusto
29th March 2010, 1:33
Ferrari could`nt bear the thought off the WDC going to Jaguar.
Herbie
28th March 2010, 11:55
I think that Mclaren wher trying to replicate buttons fantastic strategic decision to switch to slicks and jump the cars infront, when they brought Hamilton in for fresh tyres. i also presume that they thought ferrari’s tyres would die off. with those factors considered it was a good decision, which obviously turned out badly.
bob
28th March 2010, 12:06
Hey, I published some interesting facts and stats. Check them out:
http://www.twitter.com/f1latvija
We want turbos
28th March 2010, 12:16
If would make sence for mclaren yo jepordise Hamilton and hand Ferrari points on a plate as for the “button bashers”(love that phrase) who did he need to overtake? He couldn’t get to grips with the inters hence falling back atctge start! Also I’d like to point out the martin whitmarsh arguement about ride height adjusters! Mclaren looked fast on full tanks much closer to rb and Ferrari! He may have a point!!
Gwenouille
28th March 2010, 12:25
Hi guys.
Unfortunately I couldn’t follow the race this morning, do you know if I can watch a replay streaming somewhere on the net ?
Tom
28th March 2010, 13:03
Here’s a BBC one:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rs1nc/
It may be UK only – I hope it works wherever you are.
Gwenouille
28th March 2010, 13:21
Thanks for the link Tom.
Yes it is UK only and i am in France… :-(
Nevermind !
Serifo
28th March 2010, 12:36
I liked Alonso`s team radio reply ” I don`t want to know ! “when he was told Hamilton was flying towards him.:)
Now as far as overtaking is concerned, Hamilton was the best , he overtook more high profile drivers than anyone on tract!
D.A.N
28th March 2010, 12:41
Just what we needed, a race to really get things going. Congratulations to Jenson, shame Mclaren didn’t get the one two though. I believe Kubica deserves a mention for a solid race and also Chandhok just for finishing with the little testing he’s had. Also do’es anyone know why, in quali, Schumacher’s name comes up as ‘MSC’ when everyone else uses the first three letters of their surname (‘ALO”BUT’ ‘VET’) etc. I know its not important but….
rampante
28th March 2010, 12:52
When his brother was racing he was RSC.
D.A.N
29th March 2010, 11:03
Thats a good point. Forgot his brother used to race.
pSynrg
28th March 2010, 12:52
Absolutely brilliant race. Lewis & Alonso were spectacular to say the least. Level headed Button gifted a deserved win, bad luck for Vettel. Saying all that, Alonso did mess up big time on the opening lap but certainly redeemed himself.
Unfortunate strategy choice for Lewis by McLaren however I can also see their reasoning at that moment in time; as EJ alluded, they could have pitted maybe 2 or 3 laps earlier.
Lewis should reconsider his criticisms though and remember that he failed to deliver a good grid slot. Now his adrenalin has settled he will realise that this played a strong factor overall. He was lucky to only lose one place to the fast but limited Webber. Not sure he would have eventually passed Kubica though, who deserved his 2nd place probably more than Jenson his win and most certainly more than Massa’s 3rd.
Lewis was driver of the race though with typical aggressive maximum attack (with shades of his GP2 action) and scintillating passes.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 13:10
Lewis failing to deliver a good grid slot was also down to Mclaren. He was sent out on wrong tyer pressure and the given wrong amount of fuel to get onto Q3
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 13:41
I agree here.
He needs to apologise to the team for letting rip at them publicly and now, more than ever, he needs to be at one with them
He always compliments the team when it is easy to do so, ie when he has won
Now he has to show he means it, be constructive and sit down with the team and talk it out like adults
TMTR
28th March 2010, 13:11
Over the Team Radio, for all the world to hear, publicly, Hamilton did the unforgiveable to team-mates in team sport – He “threw them under the bus”. This will fester…
Akiko
30th March 2010, 21:56
Three things that are beyond me
-Why LH was ever allowed to race again after lying to the stewards at Melbourne last year
-Why the Melbourne police did not jail LH for the rest of the weekend
-Why Macca did not just fire LH after the abuse they took from him during the race
Sri
28th March 2010, 13:59
Well, even ex-driver Montoya (in his own words) shuddered at the thought of Alonso joining McLaren. If there’s a driver who’ll be favoured over another at McLaren, that would be Lewis thanks to his long association (almost a decade) with them. Think that Ron’s his godfather, so that would be another plus for him, i mean he has only sponsored Lewis’s career out of his own pockets.
Button today made a good call and got himself in a situation where he eventually controlled the race after Vettel’s departure. He would have finished 2nd in the worst scenario, where Vettel would’ve continued had his brakes not failed on him. Hamilton, well, he did well to avoid the first corner melee, but then i saw nothing that would earmark him to be more deserving a candidate for the spoils of the day.
Kubica was a surprise, a revelation if you prefer in the Renault which no one fancied for a top three finish. None the less, one can’t take anything away from Button and his by and large flawless drive (i think he was more responsible for the first corner melee).
Patrickl
28th March 2010, 15:06
You didn’t see Hamilton overtake all those cars?
We finally have 2 drivers who actually give us a show and overtake lots of cars and this is not something that you see would be fit for something deserving a reward?!!?!?
Sri
28th March 2010, 16:43
May be we were watching two different races? I certainly don’t meant to insult you when i ask whether Hamilton finished in front of Button? Alonso made a lot of passes too (more than Hamilton), so are you saying that he’s more deserving? Personally, i think it was unfortunate that Button ran into Alonso and otherwise Alonso could have had won the race. Vettel could have had won the race, then again his brakes failed and he didn’t…
Button did win and in a team which everyone thought he was a fool to go to, given Brawn’s running start. Button was genuinely happy and it was nice to see him win the race, proving his detractors wrong. Look for reasons beyond the track, for all the talk he had to endure during his Williams days, then in BAR… then even with Brawn and people called him an undeserving champion. I think i was happy to see him put it all behind him… he was happy too and for obvious reasons. He has one upped the game…
Kubica offered a glimpse of promise that he holds as a racer and i was glad to see him back… back on podium and in the limelight. Let me remind you, it was such a performance in a car that was not supposed to be any good and Renault are carrying out updates as we speak, with FIA’s permission (sodding rule changes).
I do not want to spoil it for everyone, but today’s race was only interesting thanks to the weather conditions. I’d be happy to be wrong, but i know i wouldn’t be. Even the driver’s themselves said it will be a long haul and not in a good way :P So unless a lot of us, or the good lord of motor racing himself waters the track… :P forget about overtaking. F1 is becoming too stale and do not forget, some manufacturers exited thanks to that, no matter what they say about cost cutting. There’s no better advertisement than winning a race/ championship. I find the whole charade about cost cutting a farce, as they all continue with billions as advertisement-spend.
Patrickl
28th March 2010, 19:09
Hamilton started well back of Button, had his race messed up by a bad team call and was rammed off track. I’d say achieving 6th after all that is more impressive than getting a lucky early call since Button’s race was over basically when he ruined his intermediates.
Button didn’t really beat anybody. He was marginally in front of Kubica in a slow Renault and Massa who was driving horribly all weekend.
But yeah he got the result. That’s what ultimately counts. Did he deserve it more than Vettel, Hamilton or Alonso. No way.
Sri
29th March 2010, 2:36
So you are saying that Button out-qualified Hamilton? If so, then what you’re saying is that Button helped himself to be in a position of strength, isn’t it? Are you questioning Button for being that damn good, because i can assure you that it sounds like it. Button may have been lucky that he was the one to pit first, but then again, he could have pitted a second time, instead he did get his tyres to last and about 4/5th of the race distance (mighty impressive one would think)…
In my books, Kubica did the best today, well actually it was yesterday :D. To be that ahead, in that bad a car, it matters. Alonso, he could have had won the race easily, given his pace had he not been knocked out by Button in the first corner of the first lap itself, but racing incidents happen. Then again, there’s Vettel and what is so special about leading from pole and winning, as i remember most people used to hate Schumacher/ Ferrari domination by and large for that reason.
I’m sorry, i really don’t mean to be rude… Button not only won the race, he managed to send a message to his detractors and homeboy Hamilton. Hamilton is a little more than a talented but a spoilt brat. Does that mean that Hamilton will get in trouble sooner than later with the team? Very possibly, as this is not the first time that Hamilton has done something to the effect of chiding his team and their actions in public. Then again, there was lie gate… there was Monaco in the year 2007… needless that i go on though.
Patrickl
29th March 2010, 10:32
By saying you don’t want to be rude you are in effect being incredibly rude.
I’m saying Hamilton and Alonso had great drives during the race to overcome adversity and finish high up. i do feel that that DESERVES them some reward. Button and Kubica just drove their laps.
At least Kubica had a good start although he was helped a lot by Schumacher, Alonso and Button coming together.
So the point is Button didn’t show anyhting. Well he showed us that with luck (and a lot of accidents with the people in front of him) he can win a race, but still Hamilton was easily a second a lap faster.
Same with how Massa beat Alonso. Massa had a good start, but after that he put in a completely mediocre drive. The fact that Alonso didn’t pass him doesn’t mean that Massa upstaged Alonso.
K
28th March 2010, 14:12
Keith given that in the past you have come out against passing and winning through pit stop strategy, and the given that Button’s win was basically achieved by such means, do you think this detracted from the race and Button’s win?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2010, 14:24
What irritated me in the refuelling days was the way teams would use pit strategy to get their drivers in clean air – i.e. away from other cars, spoiling the races.
Today Button sussed the conditions better than anyone else and was brave enough to take on a damp track on slick tyres. I say good for him.
That said, Hamilton drove a peach of a race. Apart from the mistake when he was in front of Webber – which he immediately made up for by re-passing – he never put a wheel wrong and made some astonishing overtaking moves.
David Watkins
28th March 2010, 14:40
Can you do an article Keith on McLaren’s persistent strategy blunders?
Off the top of my head:
China 2007
Brazil 2008
Australia 2010
There have been more but they escape me for now
James Brickles
28th March 2010, 15:01
Valencia 2009 where McLaren were late in bringing the tyres out and cost Hamilton the win.
Hotbottoms
28th March 2010, 15:08
McLaren doesn’t make anymore mistakes than anyone else. Think about Red Bull or Ferrari lately.
Also I don’t think this “strategy blunder” was _that_ bad. Hamilton lost less than 15 seconds because of bad strategy for sure so he might have been like 4th at best.
6th or 4th, who really gives a damn, but of course it’s in headlines if one of the top drivers mocks his team in public.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 14:42
You see I dont think he did suss anything out, he had little choice. He said it himself, his inters were shot, he was passed by Lewis and he was not getting anywhere so he took a gamble and it gave him enough time ahead, while Lewis came in with the swarm 2 laps later and got delayed in the rush out of the pits.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2010, 14:49
Doesn’t make a difference. He could just as easily have put more inters on – after all, there were reports more rain was coming. Besides which other drivers were also struggling with their inters, like Massa’s Ferrari. but he stayed out.
cabbagesVScarrots
28th March 2010, 15:35
come on, “put more inters on”? surly you dont really believe that was an option ;)
David A
28th March 2010, 20:23
I think you misread the part about “there were reports more rain was coming”.
K
28th March 2010, 14:59
To me it was a fairly classic strategy call. His tyres weren’t working well, similar to if he has been following another car and overused his tyres due to a lack of aero grip, so basically gambling it would pay off he pitted early in an attempt to gain an advantage. Similar I imagine to the thinking behind the Hamilton strategy except Hamilton’s strategy required that he pass people on track where as Button’s meant he passed them (except for Vettel) when they were in the pits.
The Kubica, Massa, Alonso gaggle was symptomatic of the issues surrounding the loss of aero grip experienced when running behind another car. Alonso, probably the fastest of the trio, was stuck behind Massa who was stuck behind Kubica who was the probably slowest. With no strategic possibilities they were left to wait for errors which never manifested significantly enough for a change of position.
Hamilton’s (or McLaren’s) gamble was that they might on fresher tyres be able to get past, that or they thought others would pit. Either way you might say they were not content to be beneficiaries of circumstance and decided to take their fate in their own hands.
charles fox
28th March 2010, 15:06
Just to like to add, i find it funny that few have mentioned hamiltons front wing incident with massa~(i believe. Just like he treats his tyres, hamilton played a risky game with his front wing, which was very nearly ruined and would’ve certainly cost him a decent result, i think hes very lucky he only lost one position in the alonso/webber incident.
p.s. also quite funny no-one mentioned that it was Alonso’s locking up incident that put LH and MW out of sync and lead to MW’s epic fail…
some people prefer to talk politics than actually watch what happens on track…
Icthyes
28th March 2010, 15:14
Button made the call and it worked out for him. he still had to last the race, and he did. He deserved to win.
Hamilton let the team make the call, and they ended up costing him. He drove like a madman just to get onto Alonso’s tail. He deserved more, but in the end got what he did.
It was a great display of driving by both McLaren drivers and only circumstance prevented a 1-2.
I love f1fanatic, but I’m increasingly exasperated by the absolutist and biased comments that always come up over the same issues, in this case both the issue of Button’s ability and people’s opinions of Hamilton. It’s great that this site is becoming ever more popular, but it seems like the fans of F1 who happen to support a particular driver are getting seriously outnumbered and out-shouted by those who are fans (or haters) of a driver first and F1 second.
Like the race result, that’s life, I’m not criticising the site, just making the observation. I say it because I think PM’s theory (not expressed here, but earlier in the week) that the majority of F1 fans are whiners is wrong; I simply think that most of the “whiners” aren’t real fans.
Electrolite
28th March 2010, 15:19
“absolutist and biased comments that always come up over the same issues, in this case both the issue of Button’s ability and people’s opinions of Hamilton”
couldn’t agree more mate!
Agrippa
28th March 2010, 15:27
I agree 100%. Freud would probably say that these rabid fans lead pathetic lives and bring their soccer hooliganism to the sport of F1. Real fans of F1 may care for a particular driver or team but above all, find beauty in the fusion of man and machine. That’s how I see F1.
Electrolite
28th March 2010, 15:36
It both frustrates and amuses me whenever I read comments like ‘this driver definitely would have won if this hadnt happened’ or ‘the team shouldn’t have done that’ As if they’re either psychic, or know things for a fact as if they’re a member of team or something. Takes the fun out of the whole sport, doesn’t it? But I’ll continue to enjoy the site and sport regardless =D
F1silverarrows
28th March 2010, 17:30
same, I’m a vettel fan but you don’t see me nagging lol.
but on a serious note after schumi semi-retired i became more of F1 fan then just supporting one driver.
The only problems I have with certain drivers is Kubica’s nose, hamiltons ego, webber staring into space when he gets interviewed, vettel’s obsession with good luck charms not actually working and Rosberg’s pretty boy looks.
Alex R.
28th March 2010, 19:21
What about Barrichello and Massa saying ‘for sure’ every 5 seconds while theyre being interviewed?
Cyclops
28th March 2010, 19:07
I absolutely agree. I am Polish and dedicated Kubica-fan, though I easily recognize other’s brilliance behind the wheel. Everyone has his favorites, but this should never overshadow some extent of objectivity and simple love for the sport itself. We all should admire great driving, regardless of the fact who is the driver. I’ll say this again – Hamilton-fan boys – GROW UP!
F1silverarrows
29th March 2010, 0:54
@Alex R. maybe their rosetta stone Cd’s had “for sure” in every sentance lol.
Also is it just me or was that middle aged woman around petrov on the interviews before the race, his mother? hamilton’s dad was questionable being there all the time but your mum, thats just abit funny for me so just ignore what i say :p
@Cyclops idd it gets quite annoying when some Alonso or Hamilton fans spew out remarks saying they were robbed from a podium and “deserved more” and sneered at from a different point of view.
It’s worse then me in my schumi fan days screaming at the T.V putting jinxes on drivers like Haikkenen, Hill, Villneuve and praying for engine faliures. we’re in reality most of us anyway since the only person who “deserves” more over the season is Vettel by miles and miles. Hamiltons race season so far has been quite lucky for him, having top drivers infront of him break down or spin off to hand him posistions and free points.
So he gets 1 bad situation and he loses his top? how do you think Vettel feels? he has 12 points out of a likely 50 so i think (holding back here) hamilton should just stfu…..and get ready for malaysia.
Hotbottoms
28th March 2010, 15:17
F1 races are always interesting when it’s raining. Without rain, I’m pretty sure this race would have been boring as hell.
Like Martin Whitmarsh said, of course there isn’t any overtaking, if they use two days of GP weekend in order to get fastest cars/drivers in the front plus a driver gets only few additional points by passing someone plus passing is almost impossible if a driver isn’t one second faster than the driver in front of him.
dj
28th March 2010, 15:24
J B …Mr Smooooth ,saving the car,another WDC here we come!!! Ham needs his daddy back…
Gustav
28th March 2010, 15:42
Congratulations to Jenson Button. He did a lucky gamble and it paid off big time. Like Hamilton’s win in Monaco ’08, this win was probably more due to luck than hard work and beautiful driving. I didn’t see the race, but I have found a few replays on YouTube.. I’m glad no penalties were handed out, but Webber’s driving was a disgrace – especially in the final moments of the race when he drove off Hamilton. Hamilton is an aggressive driver, which is probably why most of us like him, but he had no fault at all in the incident with Mark Webber in the end. It seemed like he was going very strong at Alonso and he might even have taken in the last corner because he had the better exit line.
I’m so sorry I missed the race, it sounds like it was very eventful :(
dj
28th March 2010, 17:51
Could you post a link for the repays
GeorgeK
28th March 2010, 16:14
I am glad that Button won a race before Hambone, regardless of the causes. Yeah Lewis had a great run prior to his last5 pit, but it was that great run that also destroyed his tires requiring him to pit.
I’ll take the steady measured pace of Jenson over the reckless bravado and bitching of Hambone every time.
tarakart
28th March 2010, 17:37
Button didn’t make any such call, hi chewed his tyres up behind the safety car and had no choice but to go in…..Ham shud leave mclaren asap
Sri
28th March 2010, 18:27
If Hamilton couldn’t survive in McLaren, which is his second home, then i don’t think he could survive much anywhere else.
ok, enough rubbing fanatics the wrong way…
But seriously… where will he go? Most of the top teams already have a top driver or two and then again, Hamilton wouldn’t come cheap and just look at what happened to Raikkonen.
steph
28th March 2010, 18:29
I hope the BBC and co. give as much coverage to this race as they did to Bahrain when they kept saying F1 was losing its “fizz”
Formoe
28th March 2010, 19:17
Where to begin …
Hats off to Fernando Alonso today. An amazing drive to say the least, and I especially enjoyed his respons to the mechanics message that Lewis was gaining on him near the end: «I don’t want to know!»
Like him or not, Alonso will always be remembered as one of the greats, even if he should fail to get that illustrious third championship title.
Hamilton disappointed me tremendously today. His comment to the team while fighting to get past Alonso during the final stages of the race was way over the line, and then some. «Who’s idea was it to bring me in? ******* idiotic!» (or something similar to that.)
Button gambled and got lucky, nothing more to say. In my opinion he’ll never be one of the truely great drivers, simply because he needs to have one of, if not THE best car on the grid in order to win or get a podium finish. Give Hamilton or Alonso a lemon and they’ll make lemonade. Sadly the same thing can not be said about Button.
Now go ahead, tell me how wrong I am!
F1silverarrows
29th March 2010, 0:57
I’ll just use a good quote from eddie last year.
“What has Button got to proove to show he is just as good as the others, because whatever he does people say he doesn’t “deserve it” he is world champion etc etc for a reason.”
Sri
29th March 2010, 6:47
It was only twice that Button has had a noteworthy car in decade long career in f1 mate… Then again, why did you not see Rubens win all of the races last year? He is quite good… yet, he didn’t win as many races as Button. There were 4 guys from last year who are noteworthy for their abilities (not based on how they drove last year), more so than others…
– Alonso
– Kimi
– Vettel
– Massa (he was an edgy driver, but has improved bucket-loads thanks to Schumacher… and i’ll say mighty unlucky that Glock ran out of fuel in Brazil…)
Hamilton is good, but in a good car… I didn’t see him do much last year when the car was not so great and suddenly when the car was faster he wins 2 gp’s… Infact Kimi was loads better, even if his win was at his favourite track and blah blah blah. Massa’s performance was even more so superlative when you pitch it against what Raikkonen managed. Even the great Schumacher couldn’t win in that bad a car as was in 2005. I doubt that Hamilton could have won with 4 pit stops like Schumacher did in France in 2004. Then again when it comes to Alonso, he’s earned Schu’s respect, so you think before you speak, more so than you would about any other driver. Alonso’s also routinely rated as the best amongst the grid, not by us armchair enthusiasts, but by his peers and others involved with the industry for quite a while.
So once in his decade long career when Button got a winning car, he won the championship… I don’t see people cribbing about Fangio, who always had the best car and by a mile and won 5 championships as a result. The same goes for Senna and Prost. Button scored one out of one, which is hundred percent hit-rate and i appreciate that.
Button could have easily messed up after the first lap, first corner incident, but he didn’t. Button got into such a commanding lead, that he could have pitted and returned in first position itself. Hamilton, he needs to as someone so eloquently put it sometime ago, “needs to engage brain before opening mouth!”
F1silverarrows
30th March 2010, 1:48
In all respects fangio didnt always have the best car on the track until mercedes came along.
50, Alfa, no. 2nd
51, Alfa, yes. 1st
52, Wasn’t involved.
53, Maserati, no. 2nd
54, maserati/mercedes, yes. 1st
55, Mercedes, yes. 1st
56, Ferrari, yes because mercedes pulled out. 1st
57, maserati, yes. 1st
58, americana/Fangio, def no. 7th
btw interesting fact you would like is that Fangio was gifted his 4th WDC in 1956 by Peter Collins (British) who was on track to win the whole thing infront of Fangio and Striling Moss that year which would of made him the first british world champion.
Peter Collins talking after giving up the title: ‘All I could think of out there was that if I won the race and the championship I would become an instant celebrity. I would have a posistion to live up to. people would make demands of me. I would be expected at all times to act “The Champion”. Driving would not be fun any more. I wanted things to go on just as they were, so I handed my car car over to Fangio. I would not have been proud of beating him through his bad luck. I am only 25 hears old and have plenty of time to win the championship on my own. Fangio deserves it this year anyway.’
In 1958 he died at the Nurburgring.
Sri
30th March 2010, 18:24
I said that in parlance to his championship winning years only…
Quite an interesting fact about Peter Collins… i read at many places that he gave his car to Fangio, but never heard it before that he was about to win championship. It makes me sad that he didn’t win the championship…
KlBD
28th March 2010, 21:52
I would say good job to both Alonso and Schumacher today, keeping cool and enacting damage control to salvage their races. Also, great job by Kubica for staying out of trouble and bringing the car home. Cooler heads definitely prevailed today, and all those that didn’t have such cool heads still helped make it a great race. :]
John H
28th March 2010, 22:04
One thing is for sure, Webber needs to calm down. Forget this ‘aussie grit’ rubbish attitude and start to drive with the maturity that your age warrants.
There, I’ve said it!
Pat
28th March 2010, 22:15
I find it somewhat ironic that the “button basher(s)” complain that he passed no one, but he did pass Kubica (did anyone else?) and for 38 of the 58 laps there was no one ahead of him to pass. Would have been nice had he passed Vettel, but that probably wasn’t in the cards for anyone in the field today.
Pat
28th March 2010, 22:37
Oops… correction: 32 of the final 38, but my point still stands…
GeorgeK
29th March 2010, 0:24
“Sadly the same thing can not be said about Button.
Now go ahead, tell me how wrong I am!”
Formoe, you’re totally wrong. The great drivers know how to race within the limitations of their situation come race day. The fact that Jenson gets it done without histrionics or drama is a further testament to his greatness.
And those who say Jenson can’t pass, all I have to offer is Interlagos 2009. ‘Nuff said.
dcowlives
29th March 2010, 9:30
“And those who say Jenson can’t pass, all I have to offer is Interlagos 2009.”
He also passed Kubica to take the then second place, which eventually became first. A pass, on Kubica, Hamilton was unable to make.
taurus
29th March 2010, 0:48
Button seems to be getting a bit of the Damon Hill treatment again.
If Lewis was comfortable on his tyres when he was called in, he could easily have made a decision to tell the team he wanted to stay out.
Just like Button did when he said: “I’M COMING IN!” Jean Alesi used to make those calls to go to slicks on drying tracks all the time, and it usually worked.
Great drive by Lewis, great call by Jenson.
super bejo
29th March 2010, 3:10
glad to see Button in the McLaren became a winner at Aussie GP. i thought he did a good job, saving his soft tyre for 52 laps and 1:29.3XX lap record, it was incredible … once he got the option tyre, he found himself a great lap and don’t forget that just 2 or 3 laps after, Button was close to Kubica and overtook him, while Hamilton was struglling behind Kubica for more than 10 laps …
Ady
29th March 2010, 4:15
A good race by Button, certainly the gamble of the early pit stop paid off. In the post race interviews you find out why he was forced into making the move. However once everything settled down and he found himself in second, he made the decision to not attack Vettel and conserve his tyres, and ultimatly this won him the race.
Kubica made the same choice as Button, although stopped for tyres a lap later. And as a result took second.
Hamilton in contrast had to use his second set to attack the field. As a result tyres were already graining when he came in to pit again. In my view it was the right decision to come in, Hamilton and Button were in very different circumstances.
Unfortunatly if in a similar situation next time, Hamilton will probably try staying out rather than changing tyres. This will mean we’ll see another problem for Hamilton where the tyres expire. This is his driving style, and he needs to accept that there will be more circumstances where Button can one stop, while he needs to do two.
Finally we can see how interesting a race can be when the cars have less downforce. However I don’t think we shold be hopeing for rain and low temperatures to force this. The rules need to change to reflect the FOTA agreement on downforce.
Baron
29th March 2010, 11:19
I have always visited this site with interest as there seems a lot of enthusiasts here. I am not really interested in commenting as such but the posts of Mr Cabbages have got me into it because I have not read so much twaddle in years. Hey Mr Conspiracy Theorist Cabbage what have you been smoking? You clearly know nothing of the complexities of F1 but a lot about soap operas.
Rits
30th March 2010, 3:34
Some posts/comments have vanished.. :o
Sri
30th March 2010, 18:30
@ Patrickl
“…but still Hamilton was easily a second a lap faster.”
Do you really believe that it was more down to Hamilton’s abilities than the new set of tyres? Button won, because he made a brave call which lucked in favour of him, but then again, it was brave. It was his ability that helped him to last the tyres set for almost 5/6th of the race (not 4/5th as i said earlier). Martin Whitmarsh hinted to the effect that Button did this of his own accord, so perhaps you may as well give more credit.
Chaz
31st March 2010, 16:58
Inspirational and sensational drive from Jenson. Thanks for keeping me on the edge of my seat…
wasiF1
1st April 2010, 8:30
When i saw Button to switch to dry tyres & ran out of the track on turn 3 the only came out of my mouth WHAT WAS HE THINKING? Little did I knew that he was planning to win the race. HE HE
Un-Ruled
21st November 2011, 1:26
I don’t disagree with this blog.