2011 Australian Grand Prix

[Tired Tyres]

Good win by Vettel. That's three in a row from him.

Good race from Hamilton. He did as well as he could. Don't be surprised if he's disqualified for wear on his plank though.

Excellent race from Petrov. He showed flashes of speed last year but far too many accidents. I don't want to read anything about how much better Kubica is. He isn't here and that's entirely 100% his own fault.

Alonso. Good race, the best he could get from that Ferrari.

Webber. Oh dear.

Button. If he had let both Ferrari's pass him on the penultimate corner of the lap he passed Massa and then immediately pitted for tyres he might have been third. I thought that up as soon as he passed Massa. How come McLaren didn't think of that? Anyway he didn't and took a penalty so that was that.

Perez. Points on his debut. F1 has a new star in the making.

Kobayashi. Beaten by his new teamate and passed far too easily on more than one occasion. Not good but at least it's better than;

Massa. Robust defence of position in the early laps but slowed himself down doing it and moved over for Alonso.

Buemi. One point for STR. Not good, not bad.

 

[ECGadget]

not too bad a race, disappointing for Schumacher, very unfair for Rosberg, solid racing from Hamilton. Vettel was untouchable, racer of the round goes to Perez or Petrov I think...
DRS was virtually useless, Barrichello ran a ragged race and Webber was understandably disappointed. Happy 40th Birthday to David Coulthard too!

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Didnt expect petrov to become third, did you see where he parked his car ?

So sue him. Jenson Button parked the car in the pits at Monaco in 2009 when he was supposed to park at the end of the main straight, and had to run the length of it.

DRS was virtually useless

It's still largely experimental. The FIA will take data from Melbourne and make adjustments in Malaysia. I wouldn't be surprised if both straights are DRS zones.

However, this was always the risk with the DRS. If there was a lot of overtaking, people would criticise it for making it too easy to pass. But if there wasn't much, people would criticise it for not doing anything and being a waste of time. And there's no perfect point where people would be totally accepting of the system. However, I think today proves that the DRS has merit. A driver doesn't simply coast by the other; it simply gets him to a point where he can make a pass work. But the onus is still on the driver.

 

[KobayashiFan]

Can't read too much into if the DRS worked or not yet. Honestly I think it would work, but only on large straights. Mind you, if the guy you are trying to pass is on the KERS button; it is my opinion you are pretty much buggered...

Vettel was simply brilliant, but thats not suprising really. Surprisingly, Kobayashi seemed rather tame this race. Which disappointed me a little, however it was only the first race...

Perez however worked miracles with those tyres. I'm certain that the car contributed to the performance, but you can't ignore the fact he scored points on his debut. The fact he beat his team mate on his debut. And the fact he set the sixth fastest lap of the race in the end, only just over a second of the fastest time set by Felipe Massa. On his debut, especially on a tricky street circuit like Albert Park, that is mightly impressive...

And Petrov has really upped his game hasn't he? He showed us last year he could be fast. For example, fighting with Hamilton is Malaysia and out-qualifying Robert at the Hungaroring. However, there were also many mistakes. Today though, he made a great start to move up to fourth. Then kept his head despite being chased down by Fernando Alonso. I think he completely deserved the podium!

 

[happycorey]

I think Petrov and Rosberg are two other drivers I should keep my eye on. While Rosberg DNF I think he could be very promising. Petrov is great too.

I fell asleep around lap 40 but I knew that unless something in the pits or an on track mistake Vettel was going to win. Great fast pace for majority of the race.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Can't read too much into if the DRS worked or not yet. Honestly I think it would work, but only on large straights. Mind you, if the guy you are trying to pass is on the KERS button; it is my opinion you are pretty much buggered...

There is nothing to prevent you from using DRS and KERS concurrently. Unless you have already used the KERS reserve up.

Perez however worked miracles with those tyres.

Apparently it wasn't planned. However, I wouldn't expect to see it become the norm; Alonso proved a three-stop strategy is equally viable. I think people will try to make it work while others push, knowing that the others will have to take it easy. Especially on circuits with short pit lanes like Silverstone and Montreal.

Then kept his head despite being chased down by Fernando Alonso.

Again. This is the third time he's done it, though admittedly he wasn't under as much pressure as he was in Abu Dhabi and Turkey last year.

 

[Lee]

Just saying...

I'm also gonna go out on a limb here and predict that Perez will beat Kobayashi, I've never been convinced of Kamui's outright pace.

Called it!

Decent race, shame Hamilton's floor scuppered any chance of a proper fight for the win, but Petrov/Alonso/Webber/Button/Massa all made up for that.

 

[Ardius]

That DRS barely does anything. I think they'd have to make something actuate on the front wing too for it to work.

If you had read any of the interviews on the DRS system, you would know that for the first race, the FIA had designed the rules for the system so that drivers could only just overtake because of the system - so that they could get some accurate data on how well it works. This is instead of making it really easy from the beginning and making it seem artificial, they wanted to avoid it becoming too easy, so they have started with it being still quite difficult and then they will adjust it to make a bit easier until they have nailed it.

It also has to be pointed out that the DRS wasn't deployed in a great place, turn 1 isn't an easy overtake spot. Turn 2 to 3 would have been a better place although a lot shorter. But I guess again they just wanted to test the system in race conditions first rather than make it really easy from the beginning.

Perez. Points on his debut. F1 has a new star in the making.

Kobayashi. Beaten by his new teamate and passed far too easily on more than one occasion. Not good but at least it's better than;

Lets be fair to Kobayashi, he was beaten by Perez on a superior strategy. One that no one had thought would be possible.
I also didn't see much wrong with Kobayashi's driving, maybe he could have been more aggressive defending but I believe he was trying to save his tyres as much as possible as he alluded to later in the BBC interview.

I think KK should be praised for showing some situational awareness and not punting people out of the way as they try to pass. Blocking the hell out of every corner is not always beneficial anyway - sometimes you are going to be passed regardless and its faster to simply let people through and get on with your own race than waste time hanging onto the position.
Also, one of those overtakes was a DRS-aided overtake from Button, not much KK can do there, though he did leave the door open on the inside.

Perez was amazing though, a very solid debut...apparently the team hadn't planned for 1 stop strategy at all and it was simply a result of the tyres lasting. Perez even said he was going aggressive when he went on the soft tyres after his pit stop, so its not like he was driving trying to save them.

I think the Sauber is a good car on its tyres and the only reason Kobayashi didn't pull a similar performance was because he had used worn soft tyres to set his Q3 qualifying time and hence ended up with a 2 stop strategy. If Sauber make Q3 next time, I bet they will set their times on the hard tyres.
Sauber could be serious podium contenders or even contenders for the win at races with higher tyre wear (e.g. Montreal).


Anyway, many, many congragulations to Petrov on a great drive to 3rd. A world of difference from last year, now lets see him keep it up for the rest of the season! One has to wonder though...what Kubica could have done with that car?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Both Saubers have been disqualified. Their upper-rear bodywork did not conform with the regulations.

 

[Grayfox]

If Hamilton's car fails i doubt he will lose his points, he will just be given a 10 grid penalty.

 

[Ardius]

Thats a shame. 👎 At least we know the Sauber is fundementally a good car though, odd that it passed earlier scrutineering.
Well Di Resta scores points on debut.

 

[Peterram430]

Thats a shame. 👎 At least we know the Sauber is fundementally a good car though, odd that it passed earlier scrutineering.
Well Di Resta scores points on debut.

Yes, he moved up to 10th, it's a shame about Sauber though

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/3/11874.html

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I think Alonso just made his first mistake: "Petrov isn't a threat because he's not a title contender."

He might not be a title contender, but Alonso underestimates him at his own peril. Every race that Petrov finishes in front of Alonso denies Alonso points that he's going to need. If I were Alonso, I'd be treating Petrov as my greatest threat to the championship until I was consistently beating him.

 

[Ardius]

Alonso is simply playing the psychological game.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Petrov has proven on three occasions - Turkey and Abu Dhabi last year, and now Melbourne - that he's not afraid of or intimidated by Alonso on the circuit, so why should off the track be any different? Alonso's done this before; in Turkey, he was told that Petrov would fold within three laps if pressured appropriately. He didn't get by for another thirty laps. And of all the drivers on the grid, Alonso is the last one I'd want behind him. I don't like him, but I do acknowledge his abilities, and he's got a certain way of simply sitting there and squeezing until his quarry snaps. Petrov appears to be immune to it.

 

[Sureboss]

Threat enough to stop you winning the 2010 WDC. Always nice to hear that idiot speak.

A shame about the Saubers, but they've shown good pace any way. Interesting, if not entertaining race.

Great drive from Petrov.

 

[Ardius]

Petrov has proven on three occasions - Turkey and Abu Dhabi last year, and now Melbourne - that he's not afraid of or intimidated by Alonso on the circuit, so why should off the track be any different? Alonso's done this before; in Turkey, he was told that Petrov would fold within three laps if pressured appropriately. He didn't get by for another thirty laps. And of all the drivers on the grid, Alonso is the last one I'd want behind him. I don't like him, but I do acknowledge his abilities, and he's got a certain way of simply sitting there and squeezing until his quarry snaps. Petrov appears to be immune to it.

I don't know, but I'm not Alonso. And Petrov did crack under pressure a lot last year, yes he did fine at Turkey and Abu Dhabi but in other races he did make mistakes when he was in good positions.
If Heidfeld gets his act together, he will be under even more pressure. But certainly this result will help his confidence.

 

[Tired Tyres]

I'll never understand why people rate Heidfeld. He gave Montoya a run for his money in F3000 but that's about it. I've always thought of him as simply not good enough for F1.

I know he's finished a lot of races in the points in the past, but how many has he won, or looked like winning?

 

[Ardius]

How many race-winning cars has he sat in? Not many, if any at all. The closest was the F1.08 and its well documented why he didn't win the only race it won.
I don't think anyone believes Heidfeld is an amazing driver. But he is very good and very reliable. He is on a par if not better than Rubens Barrichello. Both of them are immensely useful to midfield teams.

 

[Tired Tyres]

No way is he in the same league as Barrichello. A passed it Barrichello maybe, but not the Barrichello who had occasional days of genuine brilliance at Ferrari and made a certain Michael Schumacher look ordinary.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90300

Sauber will appeal their disqualification.

 

[Bram Turismo]

One has to wonder though...what Kubica could have done with that car?

I doubt he would've gotten more out of the car than Vitaly did today. Vitaly hasn't made any error whatsoever, and he seems to be driving as if there's no pressure on him at all. He just shined in that new Renault throughout the entire race.

Sure, Kubica may be the faster overall driver. But it's not like he would've been up there with Hamilton.

 

[Ardius]

I think he would have been, but of course, we will never know - thats my point though, with Petrov finishing 3rd, it suggests the car must be pretty decent. After all, the R30 was pretty decent and Petrov was very inconsistent in that car.

No way is he in the same league as Barrichello. A passed it Barrichello maybe, but not the Barrichello who had occasional days of genuine brilliance at Ferrari and made a certain Michael Schumacher look ordinary.

Heidfeld has never driven a Ferrari and Heidfeld beat Kubica in 2007 and 2009. They are very comparable, Heidfeld also shined in smaller teams like Sauber and Jordan, just as Barrichello did in Jordan and Stewart (and now Williams).
Sure, Rubens has the better results, but then he spent 5 years at Ferrari in their most dominant period...

Made Schumacher look ordinary? What, 2 races each year? Rubens wasn't favoured by the team very often but he didn't actually show the same pace all the time either.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

If Kubica were racing today, he probably wouldn't have done much better than Petrov. He probably would have qualified fourth at best, and the distance to Hamilton would have been less, but that's about it.

 

[Tired Tyres]

I think he would have been, but of course, we will never know - thats my point though, with Petrov finishing 3rd, it suggests the car must be pretty decent. After all, the R30 was pretty decent and Petrov was very inconsistent in that car.



Heidfeld has never driven a Ferrari and Heidfeld beat Kubica in 2007 and 2009. They are very comparable, Heidfeld also shined in smaller teams like Sauber and Jordan, just as Barrichello did in Jordan and Stewart (and now Williams).
Sure, Rubens has the better results, but then he spent 5 years at Ferrari in their most dominant period...

Made Schumacher look ordinary? What, 2 races each year? Rubens wasn't favoured by the team very often but he didn't actually show the same pace all the time either.

Hence occasionally. I'd agree it wasn't often but that is a great deal more often that anyone else who's name isn't Rosberg.

 

[Ardius]

^Brundle, Herbert, Irvine. All teammates that at one point or another ran faster than Schumacher. But never consistently over a season. Even Massa got close in 2006, when Schumacher was on his way out.

Whereas Heidfeld beat Kubica over 2 different seasons.

If Kubica were racing today, he probably wouldn't have done much better than Petrov. He probably would have qualified fourth at best, and the distance to Hamilton would have been less, but that's about it.

I reckon he would have been on pace with Hamilton....I mean Kubica was the one running on pace with the Red Bulls at Monaco. Is it really hard to think he could have taken this car to the same dizzy heights? Or is everyone just afraid of devaluing Petrov's result?

 

[Tired Tyres]

I reckon he would have been on pace with Hamilton....I mean Kubica was the one running on pace with the Red Bulls at Monaco. Is it really hard to think he could have taken this car to the same dizzy heights? Or is everyone just afraid of devaluing Petrov's result?

Nope. The point is that Kubica is not involved, we all know why, and therefore it's a total non-issue of a what if.

 

[HKS racer]

Saubers disqualified, I'm sorry for them but what about Lewis Hamilton? Everything ok? I remember Michael Schumacher being disqualified in Spa '94 for the same issue. Formula Joke as usual..

 

[Saidur_Ali]

I'll never understand why people rate Heidfeld. He gave Montoya a run for his money in F3000 but that's about it. I've always thought of him as simply not good enough for F1.

I know he's finished a lot of races in the points in the past, but how many has he won, or looked like winning?

What about the fact that he beat Kubica in 2 out of 3 full seasons they had as teammates? Does that mean Kubica is not simply good enough for F1 too?

I was suprised how bad he was today as I don't think I saw him on the TV coverage at all and he finished as low as possible for a car that is quick. His fastest lap was over a couple of seconds of Petrov and only finished ahead of the Virgin and Lotus, that says it all really. I would have expected him to be making a fight up the field but he was nowhere. I expect him to be back up there though fighting for his seat as if he gets beaten by Petrov soundly then it will be a problem for the constructors championship for Renault and they will be looking to address this issue quickly.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Is it really hard to think he could have taken this car to the same dizzy heights? Or is everyone just afraid of devaluing Petrov's result?

Is it really so hard to think that Petrov is already at those dizzy heights?

I don't think people are afraid of devaluing Petrov's result. Quite the opposite. They're just assuming that because Kubica was so much faster than Petrov in 2010, then everything has remained equal over the winter and so he must still be faster than Petrov in equal amounts. People are just overlooking the fact that the Petrov we saw today was totally different to the Petrov we have seen in the past.