2011 Australian Grand Prix
- Hamilton and Button expect more from McLaren
- Sauber will not appeal Australia disqualification
- 2011 Australian Grand Prix: complete race weekend review
- Who was the best driver of the Australian Grand Prix weekend?
- No home advantage for Webber at Red Bull
- Relief at McLaren after last-minute changes pay off
- Ferrari look for answers on missing pace
- Collisions spoil Mercedes’ start to the season
- Petrov fires Renault with fine drive to first podium
- Unreliability and driver errors hold Williams back
Browse all 2011 Australian Grand Prix articles
Damon
27th March 2011, 8:38
Mclaren are useless at strategy!!
Tobitron
27th March 2011, 9:39
They got Button from a penalty to sixth place and maintained Hamilton in second place in tyre conditions which are hit and miss for all teams, how is that useless at strategy?
Damon
27th March 2011, 9:57
Wow it wasn’t hard to maintain 2nd. Hamilton could have jumped vettel on the pitstops and they blew it!!
dennis (@dennis)
27th March 2011, 13:09
Not a chance. Vettel was blocked behind Button, had to overtake him and still managed to come out of the pits with a bigger gap than before. At no point in the race Hamilton was fast enough to get past Vettel.
Damon
27th March 2011, 18:16
Offcourse Hamilton had the pace, the lap vettel came in Hamilton was about 1.2 secs behind and lapping faster. Mclaren should have immediately brought Hamilton on the very next lap but they kept him out an extra lap which was too late because either his own tyres and gone off or vettel was fully up to speed
David-A (@david-a)
27th March 2011, 15:23
No strategy was going to take the race from Vettel. Hamilton wouldn’t have got past if the race was 100 laps long.
Tobitron
27th March 2011, 21:39
Especially with that air scoop damage.
F1iLike
27th March 2011, 9:40
Hamilton’s was alright wasn’t it? Same as Seb. They just was annihilated like the rest of the field by Sebastian. Don’t blame it on strategy.
SennaNmbr1 (@)
27th March 2011, 8:40
DRS seemed virtually ineffective. Can’t wait to see what happens on the long straights of Sepang though :)
sam
27th March 2011, 8:45
seemed to work reasonably well to me, helped a few people pass cars where they would other wise have just gotten stuck, but didn’t just let people straight past too easily.
RIISE (@riise)
27th March 2011, 8:47
It wasn’t virtually ineffective, it clearly worked to pull the cars closer together. You couldn’t expect overtaking on such a short straight. Besides there were a fair number of overtakes thanks to the DRS, it it worked to well it would get boring.
Himmat S.
27th March 2011, 8:47
I beg to differ. DRS turned out to be an overtaking-aid. It was, never, meant to make overtaking a given. It’s a little more easier to overtake now, but it still takes loads of drivers skill to pull it off.
I like the DRS! :)
US_Peter (@us_peter)
27th March 2011, 21:46
Agreed. I think it did exactly what it was intended to and nothing more. It also made for faster qualifying, which is just an added bonus!
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
27th March 2011, 8:50
Yeah, I think we should wait until we have a more typical circuit to judge it properly. The straight at Melbourne is tiny.
BBT (@bbt)
27th March 2011, 9:15
Pretty ineffective on this track, but it will work better on others. To early to tell the effect.
DRS overtakes = 3
One of which was also new tyres vs old.
So I agree ineffective at this race at least. If they could of used it on the back straight it would of been effective
Gambit
27th March 2011, 9:33
Yeah, DRS sucked. Drafting made a bigger difference.
Steph
27th March 2011, 8:41
Hamilton impressed me and did the maximum obviously as did Seb but in the best car he had an easier time but a well deserved win.
Perez beat the wonderkid at first attempt! Petrov gave a very controlled and calm race and this time had the pace to back up his race craft. I’m quite happy with Ferrari- Massa had a great first half but his late stop hurt while Alo had a poor first few laps and then clawed his way back so it could have been worse.
BasCB (@bascb)
27th March 2011, 8:58
I liked Lewis saying the car just dit the longest lasting stint whole season!
And what to say about Sauber. They soundly beat the second Ferrari, to show its not about the rear end that makes it hard on tyres as well. Kobayashi, solid race. Perez for best rookie already.
Petrov showed a great start again and had a really good race after that. He must be loving the sight of keeping that Ferrari behind!
Ferrari did look OK, but they seem to have problems making those tyres work at least at these temperatures. Great to see Massa’s feisty defence and nice driving in the race.
A bit of a shame about the need for that last stop and letting Alonso by right after getting rid of Button, but that is team work eh.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
27th March 2011, 9:09
Petrov and Perez were the drivers of the day for sure!
infy (@infy)
27th March 2011, 9:14
Its not very hard to beat Massa, evidently.
I was impressed by Alonso, who went from 9th to finish 4th, 1.5 seconds behind Petrov. He was a predator the entire race.
Joseph
27th March 2011, 9:50
I totally agree with you. I was so pleased for them both but especially Vitaly Petrov great to see the Russian up there.
Calum (@calum)
27th March 2011, 9:12
Lewis is provisionally 2nd right, when will we hear the confirmation – I’m thinking 25 secs would be a penalty for illegally worn plank – that would drop him to forth!!
Who ould have thought Petrov could potentially be runner-up in the title race! :L
BBT (@bbt)
27th March 2011, 9:18
It won’t be a penalty surely.
The result will stand or a DSQ no option for a penalty or at least that what I believe the rules to be.
JustAnF1Fanatic (@justanf1fanatic)
27th March 2011, 9:22
its great to see Petrov step up to the mark in Kubica’s absence i think Renault might be slightly relieved. Whilst i think Kubica is world class and up there with ham alo and vet, dont think he would have been higher than 3rd. Petorv and Perez the best of the day for me
Calum (@calum)
27th March 2011, 9:36
I quite like Suaber – they only exist to race, and they have two promising drivers which fit in well with the team’s philosiphy!
RIISE (@riise)
27th March 2011, 8:43
I think Petrov is the stand out driver today, fantastic performance.
Alonso did well to recover from 10th to almost getting a podium. Massa again was abysmal.
Exciting race lets hope for more of the same.
TFLB
27th March 2011, 9:04
Are you still standing by your earlier prediction that Sauber would finish in the bottom three in the constructor’s championship this year?
RIISE (@riise)
27th March 2011, 9:14
Ha predictions don’t always come true…i’m glad Perez beat Kobayashi though, for some reason I don’t like Kamui.
But given there track record in testing they could’ve easily been bluffing.
David-A (@david-a)
27th March 2011, 15:24
Sadly, they didn’t pick up any points today.
Steph (@)
27th March 2011, 12:41
It’s pretty standard now that I stick up for him but his second half of the race was pretty bad pace wise and then his late last stop killed him. At the beginning though he was very good and held his nerve under pressure from Jenson and defending hasn’t always been his strongest point.
NW
27th March 2011, 8:44
If they don’t dsq LH it will be… Same usual ****
RIISE (@riise)
27th March 2011, 8:48
How can you say that when it hasn’t been through scrutineering yet?
Damon
27th March 2011, 8:58
Yeh because that’s the only way they can stop Lewis you idiot!!
infy (@infy)
27th March 2011, 9:16
Yeah if lewis doesn’t pass the min measurement and they let him keep his points then it will be very controversial because in the past drivers have received DQ’s for the exact same situation.
Franz
27th March 2011, 9:35
The purpose of the plank is to make sure the teams don’t run the ride height too low. I would hope those doing the inspection would be fair (and smart) enough overlook any damage to the plank caused by kerb damage. A chunk taken out of it by hiitng a kerb or debris isn’t exactly the same as wearing it down on the track by running it too low. Cars get damaged in races all the time.
Calum (@calum)
27th March 2011, 9:39
I would think the scrutineer’s will realise that given the non damaged end of the plank will most likely be ‘normal’ as far as wear is concerned – then the Mclaren was at a legal ride height until the part failled
infy (@infy)
27th March 2011, 9:59
The problem is that they have set a president. As David C said, he was DQ’d in the past for the same situation. There would be a big conflict if they overturned their decision.
Its a pretty black and white case. The reason for enforcing the rule is to prevent teams from purposefully building the part so that if it fails it gains them down-force. They would build weak it so that it fails. They would design it so that it drops just enough to gain them time, and so that it is also “damaged”.
By enforcing the rule, the stewards effectively prevent anyone from trying their luck.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
27th March 2011, 10:11
That’s like penalising someone for ramming a driver because somebody else pushed them into that position.
Our first big stewarding decision and it’s once again come down to who’s involved and wishful thinking.
Damon
27th March 2011, 10:16
The stewards just love to get their knives into hamiltons back. They are just jealous of who he is. Brindle and coulthard don’t help matters at all!!
Solo (@solo)
27th March 2011, 10:49
Coulthard is just afraid Hamilton might take the championship from his precious Red Bull.
NW
27th March 2011, 10:56
On the contrary, they let it get away with stuff that always gets anyone else black flagged. Same old story ever and ever.
Michelle
27th March 2011, 11:08
There should be some kind of penalty for LH cause, as DC said he and Michael (Michael in 1994) got DQ’d for the exact same thing. And if you look it was damaged before he went off the race track
Neil
27th March 2011, 15:39
Whose to say his plank will be worn anymroe than normal?
The plank runs along the bottom of the car upto where the driver sits, it dosnt run the entire length of the undertray. It was only the ‘tip’ of the undertray that was dragging, there wouldnt have been a reduction in ride height because of that strake braking. It just looked dramatic because of some sparks.
“There should be some kind of penalty for LH cause, as DC said he and Michael (Michael in 1994) got DQ’d for the exact same thing”
No, Schumacher got DQ’d for excessive plank wear. Like i said, we dont know that Hamiltons plank was worn anymore than normal, and i suspect not, given my previous paragraph.
electrolite (@electrolite)
27th March 2011, 8:45
Sauber followed by Sauber. In top ten. :)
RIISE (@riise)
27th March 2011, 15:12
Oh dear…..
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
27th March 2011, 8:47
Great first race and a couple of surprises. Congrats to Perez, Sauber and Petrov. Really happy for them.
Expected nothing less than Vettel to win.
Oliver
27th March 2011, 8:49
By not qualifying inthe top 10 Perez saved his tyres. He could thus start with brand new tyres, would also have fresh sets of option tyres hence the single stop. As such any one who is going to qualify in 8th – 10th position might as well not bother
Icthyes (@icthyes)
27th March 2011, 8:51
No KERS for Red Bull, but that would have helped them here with having a better centre of gravity. Next race has long straights, they will need it badly.
BasCB (@bascb)
27th March 2011, 9:00
I suppose their KERS just sucks. Everyone is satisfied about having it packaged nicely into one package and below the tank.
RBR clearly have it all over the car to make it fit in, compromising it a bit.
But I agree with you, they will probaly use it in Malaysia for the long straights.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
27th March 2011, 8:51
Petrov finished ahead of Alonso for a second race in a row! If this trend continues, Alonso will start seeing Petrov in his nightmares :D
NW
27th March 2011, 11:00
But there was never a fight, the race ended before Fer came close enough. A few more laps and we might have seen a really exciting fight for the podium.
Himmat S.
27th March 2011, 8:53
A great season-opener. Just a thought – Hamilton actually closed in on Vettel at the end of their first stint. Perhaps, Hamilton could manage his tyres better than Vettel. Sad though that he damaged his car and I reckon he’d have lost about 3 tenths of performance each lap as a result of that.
One thing though – Red Bull are not unbeatable. That’s for sure!
Icthyes (@icthyes)
27th March 2011, 8:54
Yeh I was thinking that too, might have had a bit of a fight towards the end, like Alonso closing on Petrov.
Sam
27th March 2011, 8:58
I think Ham will surprise people this season as far as ‘tyre management’ is concerned…very underrated in that aspect.
He did seem to catch Seb up on the first stint.
BasCB (@bascb)
27th March 2011, 9:01
It did look like McLaren could have given them a bit of a fight there if Lewis had not damaged the car there.
Damon
27th March 2011, 9:08
I think mclaren threw away a good chance of victory with their useless stategy calls. When vettel pitted Hamilton was 1.7 secs behind and going faster, they should have pitted him the very next lap but they stupidly left him out for an extra lap!!
Oliver
27th March 2011, 8:53
I wonder why Coulthard is comparing Hamilton’s situation to Schumacher’s of 16 years ago. Then they used a wooden plank. Also the spin over the kerbs by Schumacher may have just been a ploy to mask the fact that the team may have shaved the planks for performance.
bosyber
27th March 2011, 9:01
A spin on the curbs also would give quite different, more local, wear than the even wear due to too low ride height.
bosyber
27th March 2011, 9:02
A spin on the curbs also would give quite different, more local, wear than the even wear due to too low ride height. So that didn’t work
BasCB (@bascb)
27th March 2011, 9:06
They use exaclty the same “plank” for years now. Its FIA mandated.
Actually he was looking for a situation that might give clues as to wether it would be a problem getting him DSQ.
So he just got the last time where there was an issue with worn plank due to damage.
Damon
27th March 2011, 9:03
It really irritates me when brundell and coulthard keep droning on about lewis receiving a penalty. Why keep bringing schumacers incident nearly 20 yrs ago? There’s no doubt the stewards will punish him now. They love to hurt Hamilton because they are so so jealous of him
Red Andy (@red-andy)
27th March 2011, 9:09
If Hamilton’s car violates the rules then he deserves to be punished. Same for Vettel, Petrov, Alonso and the rest.
The Schumacher incident in 1994 is the closest analogy we have, though as others have pointed out wooden planks were used in those days.
Damon
27th March 2011, 9:20
Why should he be punished????? Did he gain positions?!?? NO. Did it make him faster????? NO.
jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
27th March 2011, 9:23
Because it is illegal, simple as that, doesn’t matter if it was effective or not it would still be illegal if the plank is worn out to much
Icthyes (@icthyes)
27th March 2011, 10:14
I like that, damage your car, make it go slower, sorry that’s illegal, you’re out.
NW
27th March 2011, 11:05
Unless you are LH of course
Red Andy (@red-andy)
27th March 2011, 9:25
If the car is illegal, then he should be punished. The rules need to be consistently applied.
Damon
27th March 2011, 9:32
The car didn’t start the race that way, it was damaged!!!
Michelle
27th March 2011, 11:15
the plank was clearly too low before he went off the track, and since they still use wooden planks there is no difference between this situation or Michael’s situation in 1994! Schumacher was DQ’d then so Lewis should really face the same penalty now, as its the teams job to make sure it should never run too low for starters
BBT (@bbt)
27th March 2011, 9:21
and still are
Red Andy (@red-andy)
27th March 2011, 9:23
Fair enough. My knowledge of that section of the technical regulations is not that sharp, largely because it hardly ever comes up!
electrolite (@electrolite)
27th March 2011, 9:40
Haha! you make me laugh.
LHJBFTW (@lhjbftw)
27th March 2011, 10:33
I admit this is just speculation but Schumacher spinning on a curb probably wouldn’t have coursed uniform were and the stewards may have judged that the plank was warn by the low ride hight, the spin may have just been an excuse they tried to use. The stewards may judge that Hamilton’s plank were was coursed by damage, If it was because of low ride hight then all the plank would have been worn, not just the front which is probably the case.
HxCas (@hxcas)
29th March 2011, 13:13
Why the hell are the stewards jealous of Hamilton? You are giving him an almost matyr complex that he just doesn’t have. If the stewards punish him it will be for having an illegal car, not for some made up childish reason as you would make us believe. Get your mouth away from Hamiltons ass and wake up.
summers (@summers)
27th March 2011, 9:07
Well done Petrov – I can’t believe it but I was so wrong about him!
David-A (@david-a)
27th March 2011, 15:26
Yeah, he really pulled it out of the bag today. Surprised me hugely.
Duchess
27th March 2011, 19:44
It’s about time people start believing me when I said he’s a good driver! :D
JohnBt
27th March 2011, 9:09
Sergio Perez with only one stop. WOW! That’s the highlight for me.
Julian (@julian)
27th March 2011, 9:20
They probably just nicked a set of last years bridgestones from a tire wall ;)
jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
27th March 2011, 9:26
Indeed, that and Petrov’s podium, unless any of the rookies can produce something even more amazing later on, Perez has secured my vote for Rookie of the year
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
27th March 2011, 9:09
Best part of the race… the start and the Massa and Button duel… I think we missed a lot on the TV feed, I wasn’t totaly satisfied with the results… but a good race all the same
GeeMac (@geemac)
27th March 2011, 9:16
Great result for Sauber! Who says the days of the independent teams are numbered!
Paulipedia
27th March 2011, 9:58
Especially as one won the race
Broxter (@)
27th March 2011, 12:21
Great result for Sauber?
Damon
27th March 2011, 9:22
I bet alonso is on his hands and knees begging for Hamilton to be punished. Pity nobody can do it on the track :)
Sass
27th March 2011, 9:32
Very nice race… What could have been if Kubica could race:D Oh irony oh irony.
RB not using KERS is a upset… what will happen when they do.
And for the love of god, Ferrari, please pretty sugar on top please fire Massa. Just let Fisichella or a buss driver race in that matter.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
27th March 2011, 9:51
Awesome result for Vitaly Petrov. If this is the shape of things to come, I think a lot of drivers are going to be very cautious of him. Fernando Alonso in particular is going to hate the sight of a Renault rear wing in front of him.
I am, however, disappointed with the commentary in this regard. I don’t think I heard the sentence “A great drive from Petrov” (or similar) without it being followed by “It make you think what Robert Kubica could do in the car”. Kubica’s absence from the sport is both disappointing and a Greek tragedy, but let’s give Petrov the recognition he deserves for a moment by putting things into perspective.
First of all, he’s partnered with Nick Heidfeld, the man who is arguably the most difficult test a young driver can face. He can literally make or break someone’s career, and any driver who races with him will always be compared to him right up to the end of his career. And while Heidfeld’s qualifying was hampered by traffic and a KERS issue, Petrov didn’t just beat him – he had the measure of the German from the moment they landed in Melbourne.
This is coming from the man who, at the end of 2010, had left a trail of destruction that has not been seen in the sport since the days of Andrea de Cesaris. He single-handedly raised third party insurance premiums for all Renaults, and was frequently rated as the worst driver on the grid by fans and former drivers (I’m looking at you, Jos Verstappen). A lot of people were deeply critical of Renault for re-signing Petrov over someone like Nico Hulkenberg, figuring that Petrov was only in the team to donate more rubles towards making Kubica go faster. And yet, less than six months after his horror runs in Japan and South Korea, Vitaly Petrov has a podium to his name after what was a near-flawless drive. He didn’t even look like he was thinking of going off at any point during the race.
Compare that to the other driver was who most recently turned around from an impetuous and mistake-prone driver: Felipe Massa. He wasn’t nearly as crash-happy as Petrov in his debut season, but he was earmarked by Ferrari as a future talent, and they took him on-board as test driver for a year, then put him back in a Sauber before promoting him to be Schumacher’s seconder. And yet from the time he was taken on as test driver to the time he first stepped into a Ferrari, three whole years had passed. Renault have managed to turn Petrov around in less than six months.
I know it’s only early days, and one race is not representative of anything, but I strongly suspect Vitaly Petrov could be the joker in this year’s deck. The top five – Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Button and Alonso – have raced each other for years. By now they know where the others are fast; they know their strengths and weaknesses as surely as they do their own. But Petrov is a total unknown to them. He had an up and down year in 2010, and he’s not afraid of Fernando Alonso by any means. That’s it. That’s all anyone knows. If he’s running up the front as he did today and doing it consistently, he’s going to have a massive ripple effect on the championship.
So let’s not make this about Kubica. Give Petrov the respect he deserves for all the work and and Renault have put in. Because I strongly suspect that if Kubica were racing today, the difference between the two would not be nearly as great as most people suspect it would be.
Paulipedia
27th March 2011, 10:02
It would still have been interesting to see where Kubica would have finished ;)
BBT (@bbt)
27th March 2011, 10:10
No higher than Petrov that is for sure.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
27th March 2011, 10:19
Well considering if he had been in Heidfeld’s car with a KERS problem in qualifying, probably 8th.
BBT (@bbt)
27th March 2011, 11:15
Very good point
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
27th March 2011, 11:16
Got to agree there… or held up in traffic whilst doing a flying lap.
sebsronnie (@sebsronnie)
27th March 2011, 10:25
My thoughts exactly! Thanks for saving me the typing time :-)
LHJBFTW (@lhjbftw)
27th March 2011, 10:41
Pterov had flashes of brilliance last year, per the last two races I thought they would stay as just flashes. I wouldn’t go as far as PM just yet but but I hope he can do that well.
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
27th March 2011, 11:06
Yeah it was good… I even promised to stop ragging on him if he kept it between the ditches.
But, my feelings are that you love him so much because he got the jump on Ferrari at the start.
Renault made the logical pit calls, Pet kept ahead of Alonso. It was more Alonso’s bad start than Pet’s skills that gave him a podium.
You are starting to sound like Joe Seward in his defense of HRT.
I said earlier, Alonso will win another championship before Pet ever steps on the second stepof the F1 podium.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
27th March 2011, 11:52
I’ve been a fan of Petrov since his debut. My support of him is well-documented. His performance is usually the first thing I comment on after a race.
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
27th March 2011, 13:23
Yes I know that, I like Pet as well, and I’ve never said I did dislike him. But I’v’e never thought that he really deserves the ride he has.
Today, he proved me wrong, but just for today.
If he as as good as you think he is, I’ll apologize to you, to Pet and to the rest of the F1 world.
To be honest, I hope you are right, cause I really like the guy!
box this lap (@sebashuis)
27th March 2011, 10:08
Well done Petrov. I never saw that happen!
Damon (@damon)
27th March 2011, 10:18
@ “Damon”
It’s time you stop using my username!!
Damon
27th March 2011, 11:15
It’s time you got lost!!
David-A (@david-a)
27th March 2011, 17:11
Stop fighting yourself!
verstappen (@verstappen)
27th March 2011, 10:35
Positively surprised by Perez and Petrov.
Less so by Barichello…
It’s only one race but it sure looks to be a good season!
verstappen (@verstappen)
27th March 2011, 10:38
Oh and regarding the plank, it depends on the way it is measured. Just like with flexwings. So fingers crossed for Hamilton. Not a fan here, but I like it better when the results don’t change.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
27th March 2011, 12:47
Alonso just made his first mistake:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90299
He doesn’t consider Petrov to be a threat because he doesn’t think of Petrov as a title contender. But if today is anything to go by, Petrov is going to be a factor in the races. He might not be a title contender, but every race Petrov finishes in front of Alonso means Alonso loses points that he’s going to need to stay in the fight.
If I were Alonso, I’d be treating Petrov as my greatest threat until I started beating him consistently.
James_mc (@james_mc)
27th March 2011, 22:18
In all fairness to Alonso, he doesn’t really address the point which you are trying to make here. While Petrov may well be a factor, Alonso is speaking solely in terms of championship points. Realistically Petrov is unlikely to be challenging for the championship and Alonso is rightly focused on Hamilton, Webber, Vettel.
James_mc (@james_mc)
27th March 2011, 22:12
Congratulations to D’Ambrosio I would say. O.K. he was 2 laps down on the next guy up the road, but the difference in the standings between HRT and Virgin last year was a 14th place and that may be the case again this year. Although chances are it’ll be a moot point in the end as Hispania probably won’t be here this time next year….
Pink Pirelli
27th March 2011, 22:48
Some interesting results from this race (what did I just say about randoms showing up in the top five & messing with my predictions…) and I think its the first Melbourne GP without a safety car. Disappointed that Webber didn’t do better, but enjoyed watching his duel with Alonso, and the Massa/Button one nonetheless.