2013 Formula One Shell Belgian Grand Prix

MarcoM · Aug 25, 2013

Wooohaaa from where Poolhaas and I were standing, the paragliders seemed like part of the F1 entertainment act. I did consider the distance between the paragliders dangereous, still thinking it was done by professionals. Yeah professionals, but from rivaling parties.

Anyway, my cellphonecrappictures:

DK · Aug 25, 2013

IceMan PJN
This probably isn't the motorsport for you. We actually have more going on during races than what was typical of F1 races in years past. If it isn't enough this year, then it certainly wasn't enough in years gone by. People remember races of old as being much more exciting than they really were. I've watched a lot of races from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and in pretty much all of those great races you had little to no contest for the win and less overtaking in the entire race than what we see in the first ten laps in a current-era race. Then, of course, there was the Schumacher/Ferrari era where he won virtually everything, even every coin toss and game of beer pong, with no real contest from anybody, where if on rare occasion he wasn't first he was second.

You're being too reasonable for the ABV "Army". Their whining is the cherry on top of a Vettel win.

They spent too little attention on the midfield IMO. There were decent fights there until Di Resta got Maldonadowned. I would have loved to see some rain.

05XR8 · Aug 25, 2013

At least Ricciardo got a point. I went to sleep after lap 22. I watched a full exiting day of V8 Supercars that had many surprises. Probably why I wasn't into F1 like usual this weekend. Monza should be good.

sems4arsenal · Aug 25, 2013

Hope you had fun Marco,great shots.

LMSCorvetteGT2 · Aug 25, 2013

Demon Drone
The whole team orders fiasco earlier this year ring a bell?

Works both ways, Mark went against team orders before Malaysia as well, the only reason it's an issue when Vettel does it is because he's Vettel and it got him a victory. Let's look at this from the racing long term stand point, if Vettel didn't take the win in Malaysia, Alonso would be a little more of a race behind instead of nearly two races behind, with Lewis being even closer.

That's going on what you THINK I'm saying rather rather than what I'm actually saying. And yes my comments did mean the car did most of the work today. Put any other top driver in that car and the results would have been very similar. Even Vettel said it was pretty easy in the post-race interview.

So what I thought you were saying has just been confirmed by you the original poster as correct. Thus I knew exactly what you were inferring that time.

He sort of had a car to win the WDC last year. The car generally wasn't as good as the other top cars. It wasn't garbage of course but it lacked some performance compared by comparison to the top. Alonso did have to out drive the car a lot last year to contend for the title.
And yes Massa did do well last year for the most part. This year has been very different. Like I said, the results speak for themselves overall.

He didn't sort of the car was there the F2012 was a good car and was said all year long it was a major improvement of the 150th. The McLaren was the top car last year. The results for Massa only say what they usually say, he starts weak in the season and then picks up. Alonso had a very fast car today and it was shown by him cutting through the field if he hadn't qualified so poorly you and a few others wouldn't be crying about a Vettel win.

Oh and on the point of Massa again, it shows that the car has been on top this season Alonso has said it, last year the car was there more so. So unless you are willing to say Massa out drove the 2012 during the second half and at times better than Alonso, the only thing you've done is help prove the car was actually better than many fans want to proclaim.

And again, I never said that Ferrai is crap but clearly the car was not the best on the track today.

How was it not? If I take a page from your line of reasoning the RBR was clearly not the best, Webber was in the upper times with Vettel all weekend. From that alone this should have been an RBR 1-2. Oh, but that's right the world conspiring against Mark is why it wasn't a 1-2 cause RBR doesn't want to secure the WCC.

No I have an objectivity of how it went down. Calling it as I see it. Vettel drove well and took a vastly superior car to the top of the podium while Alonso had to come from 9th and brought it home in 2nd. My point still stands that Alonso gets the drive of the day from me.

I'm sure Alonso gets the DOTD from anyone here, but to say the car is the same car we saw in Germany or Hungary isn't true.

As for JGreens I'm not going to waste my team he pollutes the forum with bias to the point mods have to tell him to stop so yeah...

mikekhel30 · Aug 25, 2013

Blitz24
Shell?

Shell No!

Grand Prix · Aug 26, 2013

I thought this was a pretty good race, although most of the action was in the midfield. Some people might have too much expectation on there being loads of overtaking at the front methinks...

LMSCorvetteGT2 · Aug 26, 2013

Grand Prix
I thought this was a pretty good race, although most of the action was in the midfield. Some people might have too much expectation on there being loads of overtaking at the front methinks...

That, and too many massive anti-Vettel fans that are on the fringe into crazy than reality.

MarcoM · Aug 26, 2013

sems4arsenal
Hope you had fun Marco,great shots.

Thanks, but await Poolhaas's shots, they should be much better.

It amazes me how early you have to arive at the track. We arrived at 7.30 and a the majority of good spots (with screen in front of you) were already occupied.

The sound of these beasts is just amazing. Out of this world.

JGreens · Aug 26, 2013

Grand Prix
I thought this was a pretty good race, although most of the action was in the midfield. Some people might have too much expectation on there being loads of overtaking at the front methinks...

If we could have a broadcaster that focuses on the action, I'd pay to watch that broadcaster, but we don't, we get substandard broadcasters who repeatedly struggle to find interesting talk-topics in race, because the dearth of action at the front.

Speaking of broadcasters, has anyone seen the new SkySports advertisement based among the "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." quote from Shakespeare? No guesses for which sport/driver comes in the 'thrust upon them' clip! :lol:

R5 · Aug 26, 2013

They couldn't show action at the front, because... There wasn't. The move Vettel did was as exciting as it got from the top few.

Barra333 · Aug 26, 2013

JGreens
If we could have a broadcaster that focuses on the action, I'd pay to watch that broadcaster, but we don't, we get substandard broadcasters who repeatedly struggle to find interesting talk-topics in race, because the dearth of action at the front.

Speaking of broadcasters, has anyone seen the new SkySports advertisement based among the "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." quote from Shakespeare? No guesses for which sport/driver comes in the 'thrust upon them' clip!

You are aware that the broadcaster (eg Sky, BBC) can only broadcast what they are given by the FOM? So you can pay whatever you like to DelusionalTV+, they will still show the same footage as the BBC and Sky.

MarcoM · Aug 26, 2013

True, but the commentators are verry different. Because I attended the race in Spa, I wanted to see what happened. I wached the short version on Dutch broadcaster Veronica. Ver dissappointing commentary there. Quite a difference to the RTL7 show with Olaf Moll and Allard Kalff.

Barra333 · Aug 26, 2013

Of course the commentary is different, but my impression was that JGreens wasn't happy with the footage being shown, rather than the commentators choice of discussion topic.
I watched the BBC coverage, even though I have Sport1 (which includes onboard and pit channels), simply because I dont speak Dutch yet.
Also, I know that most of the Australian members would rather slit their wrists than listen to the Australian studio guys do the race commentary, which thankfully only happens when the UK link goes down.

MarcoM · Aug 26, 2013

BBC's coverage remains ace.

Touring Mars · Aug 26, 2013

MarcoM
BBC's coverage remains ace.

Agreed - I always watch the race live on BBC when I have the choice.

Gedi69 · Aug 26, 2013

Just read that kimi's brake failure was due to a visor rip off getting caught in his brake duct.

AlvaroF · Aug 26, 2013

Gedi69
Just read that kimi's brake failure was due to a visor rip off getting caught in his brake duct.

From lap 1? It's possible but I doubt it.

Gedi69 · Aug 26, 2013

AlvaroF
From lap 1? It's possible but I doubt it.

Lotus have said it was.

dice1998 · Aug 26, 2013

I do remember Alonso tearing a piece of visor while exiting pit lane. I think it was Alonso. It could have been Massa. One of the Ferraris.

Pagey279 · Aug 26, 2013

dice1998
I do remember Alonso tearing a piece of visor while exiting pit lane. I think it was Alonso. It could have been Massa. One of the Ferraris.

I'm pretty sure it was Alonso, he ripped one off every time he came into he pits, so twice.

m8h3r · Aug 26, 2013

Gedi69
Just read that kimi's brake failure was due to a visor rip off getting caught in his brake duct.

Pagey279
I'm pretty sure it was Alonso, he ripped one off every time he came into he pits, so twice.

I saw a few drivers ripping them off. Think I saw a red bull too.

ExigeEvan · Aug 26, 2013

Isn't it fairly common practice for drivers to remove them throughout the race?

nissman · Aug 26, 2013

Very common yes.

gurizzi · Aug 26, 2013

Gedi69
Just read that kimi's brake failure was due to a visor rip off getting caught in his brake duct.

Those are called 'tear-offs' they are used anywhere on course all the time, I'm sorry but that sounds like a weak & lazy excuse from Lotus, im not buying it, these things happen, or maybe Kimi just rode breaks too hard?

Good race by Vettell though, he was aggressive all race. I can't wait for Webber to GTFO! I'm just excited to see someone new in the other Red Bull & see how good those cars really are, cuz with Vettell its hard to tell how much is talent & how much is car.

Good luck to Masa next week lol.

thanks all.

Ardius · Aug 26, 2013

MarcoM
BBC's coverage remains ace.

Gary Anderson alone is enough for me to prefer it. Even Eddie Jordan is more insightful than (and I'm sad to say this but..) Herbert and Hill on Sky.
Sky's coverage always feels kind of vague, like everyone involved in the programme has pretty much little to no involvement with the current affairs in the sport so they're always guessing.
Whereas the BBC coverage comes across as far more insightful and interesting and gets to the point rather than filling airtime with useless discussions.

If only Sky would hire someone like Mike Gascoyne to balance out the huge number of ex-driver pundits they've got as well as having someone who has actually been involved very recently.

That said, Brundle's interview with Hamilton a few races back on Sky was one of the most revealing and honest I've ever seen.