Does anyone else find the Mclarens and Ferraris sudden competiveness vs RBR odd in Germany ? Especially since Hami said they "knew" they were going to be uncompetitive this race.
I don't have a particular conspiracy theory for the German GP. But I'm 100% convinced that the rule changes regarding the blow-by exhaust were a deliberate attempt by the FIA to reign in RedBull to keep the championship more interesting. And it worked. A couple of months ago we talked on here about when the FIA would drop the shoe on RB. Well, we have the answer by now. That said, Vettel will still win the title. He drove a clever race in Germany: Let Hami and Alonso still each others' points. Sit back and drive home enough points to secure the title. His days of taking risks are over, now it is all about harvesting enough points to get by.
I'll go along with that. The problem is, as long as Hamilton Button Alonso maybe Massa, maybe Webber take points from each other, there is no way Vettel can be reeled in. I can't be bothered to do the maths, but there will be endless permutations as regards to how Vettel does not need to win another race, but still win the WDC. I rough guess: 3 DNF's or out of the points would get a WDC race back on. No conspiracy as yet, apart from what Andreas stated.
Not yet. I believe Mclarens sudden speed was because of the cold weather. Shanghai, Canada and Germany where all cold grand prix', all won by Mclaren. Coincidence? I think not. Hungary will be hot and I assume it will be the Red Bull that will win the race, with Ferrari following as 2nd team and Mclaren scraping for 3rd.
While I agree he's grown up a lot since last season, I highly doubt his hanging behind Massa was because he was happy with that amount of points he was set to gain there. I think he flat-out couldn't pass him despite his best efforts. He's not an evil genius just yet.
We'll see. This weekend it should be a lot warmer. I'm really hoping for Alonso domination. It is his birthday weekend after all!
I'm not necessarily debating that. But I'm pretty sure his mindset is way different now: DO NOT HAVE A DNF!!! Doesn't matter how many points. Massa got nothing to loose so trying to pass him could end up in a collision. Just don't risk anything. Boring but effective.
I have been involved in motorsports for over 35 years. Certainly, it is always questionable why the home team seems to do much better, at home. Is it because of manipulation? I do not think so at all. Each chassis, whether F1, NASCAR, ALMS, etc, has a location where it seem to perform better than normal. Whether it be tires, team attitude, team morale, gearing, whatever, teams that have not done much less than 100% before suddenly are in the winner's circle. That is racing. Luck, skill, just happen. Mid-season rules changes, and mid-season changes by other teams have fortunetely changed the mix in F1. Promoter manipultions have nothing to do with changes in racing. Now if you ask someone like Gary Nelson...............
Don't agree. Vettel was pushing like mad to try and overtake and gain some ground - you don't get two unforced errors by hanging back and if you watch the in-car replays you'll see he was locking the brakes continuously. I'm hopeful that the other teams have gained something and are now just as competitive as the Bulls so now it will come down to drivers skill to actually determine the outcome of the race. Unfortunately Vettel has already gained such a massive lead thanks to his easy wins early on that yes all he has to do is sit back and not fail to finish. If he's happy winning a world championship in that fashion then fine but in my eyes its not a worthy championship win.
A LOT of WDCs are won this way incl. many of the multiple WDCs like Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda and Fangio to name a few.
Agreed. OTOH, I hope the race this weekend will bea wet one, and unpredictable. Hungary has one of the most boring track on the calendar..
Agreed and I don't give credit to those wins either but all of those champions you mentioned had a at least a few races that they actually had to race to get their win and there was always evidence there that these guys had something truly special - the problem is that Vettel hasn't shown me anything special except his incredible pace in Q3. Granted he hasn't been given much opportunities either but in the rare occasions that he has he's always ended up looking like a clown.
Did you not see him win Monza in a POS a few years ago? What other proof do you need? Walk on water? Heal the blind?
Something is up and I dont think its the weather. Everyone was racing in the cold. The minimal rules changes should have had no effect. Ferrari was in the same position last year but came on strong. Mysteriously if you ask me. RBR still has has the dominating car.
They have been doing it for a few years. This season is just like the last. Its odd that RBR is that good and all of a sudden they are not as fast. I called it last year and again this year. Just like last year the RBR team will be strong again in the final stages of the season when the tickets and advertising spots are all sold at premium dollars, which the would never get if the season was wrapped up early. It all about the $$$$$$$$$s
Ironically, the Red Bull only has been really dominant in 3 or 4 races this year, but Vettel has managed to maximize his qualifying pace, other team´s mistakes and the fights between his rivals. Alonso has roughly the same points he had at this stage of the season in 2010, and still he´s way behind. Dominant car or not, I think Vettel deserves some credit.
The "not a worthy champion" talk is so irritating and stupid. You can bet your ass he's happy winning the title by blowing the field away for half a year then cruising. Why wouldn't he be? Does he need to win every race by a dive-bomb pass in the last corner? Ridiculous. Every WDC, in my opinion, is "worthy." I don't give a crap if it's Jacques Villeneuve, they still had to get in the car, beat their teammate, drive the damn thing and win races. Not easy.
+1 I used to think of Keke Rosberg and Damon Hill as unworthy champions as the title fell into their laps. But I no longer think that way. They had to be there to "receive" the title. Keke survived a horrendous year. Hill was clever enough to sit in the right car at the right time. That doesn't just happen by itself. And he still had to win the races. Lots could go wrong.
