[Maky]

Originally Posted by tazmaan

So you penalize the teams with good R&D for better packages by saying you did a lot of research, you have a better package, you have a better driver now lets give tires that makes sure none of that matters and curbs your racing instincts and shaves off that mili-second the designers worked hard to save in the first place.

A soft compound that wont last beyond 5 to 6 laps in a 50 + lap race is plain pathetic.

It's sad isn't it. However the spectacle of F1 without such 'equalising' measures is even more so...
I would love a better solution I've thought putting restrictions on wing development and an un ban on ground effects would allow teams to maintain high cornering speeds at the same time reducing dirty air left behind which makes overtaking notorious in the current formula. Oh and engine freeze needs to go as well.

[udiboy]

Whatever happened to the iceman at the start - how I wish he had more grip till the first turn and he could have made it 2 in 3!!

[SilentEngine]

Interesting race it was, mainly due to the different tyre strategies. I would have liked to see how Webber's strategy would have played out in the end in relation to Vettel, but unfortunately he had a DNF.

If not for the slow start due to a technical glitch and the nose damage, Kimi would have fought for the win with Alonso. He apparently lost 0.25 seconds per lap due to nose damage. In any case he did very well to get second place in his home race. His overtake on JEV at turn 1 was top drawer stuff, which prompted Martin Brundle to comment "A world champion's move!"

What puzzled me was that Massa and Grosjean ended up so far behind their team mates. They were close to the leaders till first stop so what happened after that?
Also i was little surprised to see Vettel go with a defensive strategy in qualifying by not setting a time. Usually top teams don't do that. It was somewhat similar to what Lotus did in last year's Bahrain GP but with much lesser success than Lotus. If not for Webber and Rosberg DNFs, Vettel wouldn't have finished in 4th.

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by tazmaan

The new tires are actually a big let down. Drivers like Vettel, Hamiton, Alonso asking on team radio whether to stop the guy coming from behind from overtaking or fight and risk tires. I know strategy is important but not so much that it discourages teams from participating in Q3 and drivers from racing.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

2. Again in the race the state of your tyres seems to be the dominant factor.

I've been watching F1 since starsports first came to India in early 90's. This is the first race i've watched this season and never have I seen a situation where racing drivers give up place - even race lead - voluntarily to rivals just because fighting them is pointless to their strategy.

The final picture of race order came together only in the last 5-6 laps or so. While it does up the excitement for some, seeing most drivers just circulating around the track as fast as their tyres allow them brings to mind the ridiculous Q3's F1 had a few years ago which were basically fuel burning till the last lap.

Sure, Kimi and Hamiltom were stuck together for most of the race, but they didn't seem to want to risk an overtake move on each other - even with DRS.
This seems to be a most artificial way toput some unpredictability into F1 with the race favouring drivers with the lightest foot rather than outright speed.
F1 needs to find a way to reduce aerodynamic grip in favour of mechanical that brings true driving skill to the fore, that in itself will bring back audiences, not these artificial gimmicks. I dont think these tyre regulations will be popular among the racers in the F1 paddock or the fan stands.

[kaushik60]

What a race it was! Extremely action packed and with its fair share of controversial moves and accidents.

Poor Webber had quite a torrid weekend, which came to an end when his tyre decided to part ways with his car. The sight of the tire rolling across the track was pretty unnerving. Isn't that extremely dangerous? These tyres are quite heavy, and at the speed at which they can come off these cars, they can have a lethal momentum.

I though there was a rule that requires the tyres to be tethered to the chassis to ensure that they don't fly off. Wasn't this the case a few years back? Is this rule not there now? I think merely fining the team $5000 and giving Webber a three place penalty inst going to ensure that tyres dont come off cars. And god forbid the situation where it goes careening at high speeds towards the race marshals/spectators.

Thoughts?

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by kaushik60

I though there was a rule that requires the tyres to be tethered to the chassis to ensure that they don't fly off. Wasn't this the case a few years back? Is this rule not there now

I think the rule is still in place, but applies to accidents. In Webber's case, possibly something went wrong with the tire change during the pit-stop and the wheel came loose.

RB tried to get the car to the pits, driving slowly, but I don't know if they could predict that the wheel would come loose before the car got to the pits. In the last race, we had Alonso running with a clearly damaged wing doing racing speeds when the wing came off. He could so easily have collected another competitor when that happened.

[sa_kiran]

Saw it on twitter.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Maky

After the race I was wondering the same. Do you think he did the lockup on purpose to create a distraction of sorts for Vettel as it was the last corner or did he have to emergency break to avoid back marker up front??

I dont think so. He braked really deep into the last corner so as no leave no room for Vettel to think about making a move.

The checkered arrived before the DRS zone (I think) so he was OK!

[Baddychat]

Originally Posted by udiboy

Whatever happened to the iceman at the start - how I wish he had more grip till the first turn and he could have made it 2 in 3!!

That was probably the worst start that Kimi could have made. I was watching intently with my focus on the car to the front left of the starting grid. Looking at him, I thought that he had probably stalled. That probably cost him a win here.

Also being a McLaren fan all these years, it was nice to see Button amongst the points, finally. It has been a horrible season for McLaren so far and Button has even tweeted that he is no position to win a race with the car he has. Hope they can turn it around and soon.