Barcelona - Spanish F1GP

What's going on peeps..?

Not having Ferrari at the top boring you..? I think it's excellent having no hopers Brawn getting Pole and 3rd, with Vettel as the sandwich filling. Certainly has made this F1 season worth watching. Best one it has been in years, so far.

I guess people find it difficult to talk about Button after saying what a crap driver he is, for the last... what 7-8 seasons..? No doubt it's all to do with having the fastest car. But you do need a half decent driver to make it go fast - as Jenson, and Reubens of course, are doing. Just love it when underdogs have their day.

Oh sorry... this is the Spanish Grand Prix thread. Here's how all the qualifying sessions ended, with fuel adjustments. Tsk tsk, nothing simple in F1.

1 Vettel - lap 16

2 Button +0.059 seconds - lap 14

3 Massa +0.151 - lap 17

4 Barrichello +0.172 - lap 15

5 Webber +0.389 - lap 16

6 Trulli +0.454 - lap 16

7 Glock +0.762 - lap 14

8 Alonso +0.959 - lap 13

9 Rosberg +1.321 - lap 23

10 Kubica +1.728 - lap 19

Thanks Beeb.

Spain is a rubbish race tbh. Even I find it hard to get enthusiastic about it as it's such a parade. In 18 races there, the pole sitter has won 14 times, front row qualifiers 17 times and top 3 qualifiers 18 times. No one outside of the top 3 qualifiers has ever won.

It's a nice, sweeping track but it's too narrow and there are too few overtaking spots. Also, the drivers know it better than any other track so there are very few mistakes made.

i thought button was on pole?

Yeah, the BBC have produced a sort of "Fuel corrected" grid.. It's quite speculative as they don't know the relative 'economy' of the engines in question, but it'll be close. I doubt there's a lap between Alonso and Button though, for example. There's only 1kg between them and a lap uses around 2kg at Barcelona.

Yeah, the BBC have produced a sort of "Fuel corrected" grid.. It's quite speculative as they don't know the relative 'economy' of the engines in question, but it'll be close. I doubt there's a lap between Alonso and Button though, for example. There's only 1kg between them and a lap uses around 2kg at Barcelona.

ahh i see, thought i was imagining things then

Perhaps they should go to Jerez for the Spanish F1GP.

I like Jerez, so I wouldn't argue with that. I'm not sure the track is actually more likely to produce overtaking but I do prefer it.

Spain is generally a pretty boring race, but I'll watch it out of blind faith in the sport and because I'm a big fan of Button and Red Bull.

4 car smash first corner. Thats more like it, bit of excitment.

Spain is generally a pretty boring race, but I'll watch it out of blind faith in the sport and because I'm a big fan of Button and Red Bull.

You've been keeping that one quiet until now...

Well done Button,Well done Brawn.

Another super result as far as i'm concerned.

Not a bad race for Barca, tbh. Ferrari continue to be the masters of their own downfall.

Strange how nobody blamed Alonso for kicking off the 1st corner incident.

PS. There is no KERS system on the Renault this week, so the BBC have embarrassed themselves time after time today, talking about the Alonso/Webber battle.

Yeah, the BBC have produced a sort of "Fuel corrected" grid.. It's quite speculative as they don't know the relative 'economy' of the engines in question, but it'll be close. I doubt there's a lap between Alonso and Button though, for example. There's only 1kg between them and a lap uses around 2kg at Barcelona.

Both Button and Glock stopped before Fernando.

Not a bad race for Barca, tbh. Ferrari continue to be the masters of their own downfall.

 

Strange how nobody blamed Alonso for kicking off the 1st corner incident.

I've been outside pretty much all of today erecting a fence, coming back inside for the odd glimpse and coffee, so I missed the pile up. I'm fully prepared to blame Fernando, when I watch the highlights later, if you'd like me to, matey.

Understand he did quite well, and did I see him chase down Massa in the latter stages, during another quick glance..?

I've been outside pretty much all of today erecting a fence, coming back inside for the odd glimpse and coffee, so I missed the pile up. I'm fully prepared to blame Fernando, when I watch the highlights later, if you'd like me to, matey.

 

Understand he did quite well, and did I see him chase down Massa in the latter stages, during another quick glance..?

He only caused the pile up if you traced it right back to its roots and decide he should have just waved Rosberg through, I'm just surprised I seem to be the only person who noticed this. As for chasing down Massa, the poor Brazilian had to back off to save fuel. Shame.

Missed the race as I was out buying a new car.

Anyway, thought it was pretty good for Borecelona. Ponty was Nando the guy on the inside of Trulli coming out of turn 2, who pushed him wide onto the gravel? If so, I did get a glimpse of it on the aerial shot, but thought it was one of the Williams'.

Good to see Button win again. Andrew, I have been a fan since he joined F1 but in the last 2 years there has been f**k all to talk about. Same with DC/Red Bull really. Great to see them coming up trumps again and Ferrari having another circus weekend. Ferrari lol moments must be getting towards double figures for the season now.

Also I sense tension between Rubinho and the Brawn team post race. Rubens not happy with the strategy. Ross saying it was the quickest strategy, especially with the clear track, but Rubens was too slow.

Ponty was Nando the guy on the inside of Trulli coming out of turn 2, who pushed him wide onto the gravel? If so, I did get a glimpse of it on the aerial shot, but thought it was one of the Williams'.

That was a Williams, as you thought, Rosberg in fact, who Fernando had forced off the track defending his position. Rosberg swung back on behind Alonso, clipped Trulli and sent him into the gravel. Trulli then came steaming back onto the track at exactly the same point that Sutil was coming back on after an excursion off the other side. The two hit, right in front of the STRs, causing even more chaos behind them.. It was great..

Reubens was **** poor on his second set of option tyres when he needed to be flying. It was his own fault tbh.

PS. What car have you bought?

Ponty, just to change the subject slightly.

In the summer van der Garde, a young Dutch driver, did a few tests for Renault because he won some series. Do you know how he did and if there's perhaps a chance he might get more tests next summer (and perhaps a testing seat)?

Ponty, just to change the subject slightly.

 

In the summer van der Garde, a young Dutch driver, did a few tests for Renault because he won some series. Do you know how he did and if there's perhaps a chance he might get more tests next summer (and perhaps a testing seat)?

He won the WSR 3.5 litre championship and was invited to the R28 test in Barcelona after last season. He was alright but it doesn't usually lead to anything more but he's followed the logical step into GP2 and iSport are a pretty good team to be in. No idea what plans have been made for next year tbh.

That was a Williams, as you thought, Rosberg in fact, who Fernando had forced off the track defending his position. Rosberg swung back on behind Alonso, clipped Trulli and sent him into the gravel. Trulli then came steaming back onto the track at exactly the same point that Sutil was coming back on after an excursion off the other side. The two hit, right in front of the STRs, causing even more chaos behind them.. It was great..

 

Reubens was **** poor on his second set of option tyres when he needed to be flying. It was his own fault tbh.

 

PS. What car have you bought?

I actually thought it was going to be a close thing between him and Button after seeing Rubens' pace in the second stint. Then when he came in for his second stop I realised a lot of his pace was down to fuel and he didn't look remotely on the pace thereafter. A bit fortunate to finish ahead of the Red Bulls in the end I think.

Luckily for Button, it seems Rubens is just that little bit too far past it to be challenging for the title this year.

And it's a 1.4 Chevrolet Kalos. Doesn't sound like much, but it's double the engine size of my Matiz and has air conditioning.

DC must be ****ed. Moved from Williams to McLaren and the net year Williams had a car that pretty much anyone could have won a world championship in (Villeneuve - I mean come on!!) and now the Red Bull is one of the most competitive cars...

Spain is generally a pretty boring race, but I'll watch it out of blind faith in the sport and because I'm a big fan of Button and Red Bull.

Blind faith shall be tested in the next F1 race - Monaco. Surely the most boring of all Grand Prix.

Blind faith shall be tested in the next F1 race - Monaco. Surely the most boring of all Grand Prix.

Not as boring as my pointing out that you should have put 'Grands Prix'...

Entertaining all in all I thought. Another thoroughly deserved win for JB and Brawn. Not sure if RB was deliberately hard done by with the strategy switch but do I hope not.

Entertaining all in all I thought. Another thoroughly deserved win for JB and Brawn. Not sure if RB was deliberately hard done by with the strategy switch but do I hope not.

It did seem strange that there was a change to the stop strategy, which handed the race to Button, IMO.

Not as boring as my pointing out that you should have put 'Grands Prix'...

How about if I put... surely the most boring Grand Prix of all..!

?

It did seem strange that there was a change to the stop strategy, which handed the race to Button, IMO.

Looking at the starting fuel loads, the change would appear to have been made to Jenson's strategy, bringing him onto a two-stopper. Reubens stuck with the 3 stopper, which (on paper at least) is actually the fastest way around the Catalunya circuit.

Looking at the starting fuel loads, the change would appear to have been made to Jenson's strategy, bringing him onto a two-stopper. Reubens stuck with the 3 stopper, which (on paper at least) is actually the fastest way around the Catalunya circuit.

Which just proves Ross Brawn's point that Rubens' lap times weren't quick enough. If a 3-stop should have been faster, then Rubens should have won. He didn't, ergo it was his lap times rather than the strategy that prevented him from winning.

Which just proves Ross Brawn's point that Rubens' lap times weren't quick enough. If a 3-stop should have been faster, then Rubens should have won. He didn't, ergo it was his lap times rather than the strategy that prevented him from winning.

Yep, not many people are arguing against that tbh. Well, not me anyway.

Yep, not many people are arguing against that tbh. Well, not me anyway.

I'm not, you're not, but Rubens himself is, and appears to have thrown the dummy out of the pram and blamed the change of strategy for handing the win to Button. I can understand his frustration due to the amount of times he will have been ordered to defer to Schumi when he was at Ferrari, but in this case he needs to look a little closer to home.