Red Bull began 2011 the way they ended 2010 – with Sebastian Vettel charging to victory.
But the scale of his advantage will be a worry to team mate Mark Webber.
Sebastian Vettel | Mark Webber | |
Qualifying position | 1 | 3 |
Qualifying time comparison (Q3) | 1’23.529 (-0.866) | 1’24.395 |
Race position | 1 | 5 |
Laps | 58/58 | 58/58 |
Pit stops | 2 | 3 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | |
Sebastian Vettel | 98.109 | 93.006 | 92.713 | 92.803 | 92.342 | 92.605 | 92.502 | 92.537 | 93.24 | 92.572 | 92.669 | 92.902 | 93.698 | 112.075 | 98.385 | 91.548 | 90.8 | 91.81 | 91.018 | 91.055 | 91.288 | 91.084 | 90.875 | 92.24 | 91.699 | 91.328 | 91.568 | 91.113 | 91.339 | 91.054 | 91.707 | 91.611 | 91.406 | 91.871 | 92.597 | 113.737 | 99.321 | 93.632 | 91.005 | 90.53 | 90.14 | 90.419 | 90.503 | 89.844 | 90.47 | 90.669 | 90.297 | 90.471 | 90.71 | 90.732 | 90.873 | 91.087 | 90.671 | 90.656 | 90.899 | 89.962 | 90.516 | 91.946 |
Mark Webber | 101.467 | 93.725 | 93.208 | 92.933 | 92.899 | 92.916 | 92.9 | 93.262 | 93.33 | 94.248 | 114.995 | 100.221 | 93.661 | 94.118 | 94.236 | 92.497 | 92.534 | 92.905 | 92.73 | 92.529 | 92.301 | 92.342 | 92.472 | 92.746 | 92.92 | 111.733 | 97.841 | 91.348 | 91.386 | 90.924 | 90.796 | 90.397 | 90.562 | 90.474 | 90.8 | 90.496 | 90.627 | 90.482 | 90.739 | 91.67 | 113.49 | 97.445 | 89.686 | 90.108 | 89.803 | 89.804 | 90.53 | 90.122 | 89.713 | 89.6 | 90.165 | 89.825 | 89.996 | 89.695 | 91.124 | 90.203 | 90.472 | 92.279 |
Sebastian Vettel
Just like last year, Vettel was the fastest man in all three parts of qualifying.
He set a new fastest lap of Melbourne with a time of 1’23.529 at the beginning of Q3. He was on course to better it with his final effort until he ran wide at turn 14, but still had the best part of a second in hand over his team mate.
Though secretly concerned about the vulnerability of his KERS-less car at the start, he got away cleanly and was almost two-and-a-half seconds ahead by the end of the first lap.
Vettel was never headed in the race, except for three laps after he made his first pit stop. It was a near-perfect start to his title defence.
Mark Webber
Webber’s form in his home race has often been a weakness and the yawning gap to his team mate will have been doubly painful.
After qualifying Webber said: “Obviously, disappointed to get bumped off the front row as well. Tried my best. Mystified to the gap to Seb, to be honest. I will have to go through it and have a look at where I can improve and go from there.”
By the end of 58 laps’ racing Webber was 38 seconds behind his team mate, partly due to needing an extra pit stop for tyres.
An error on his out-lap following that third pit stop cost him fourth place to Fernando Alonso.
2011 Australian Grand Prix
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Image © Red Bull/Getty images
Hare
28th March 2011, 19:56
Mark, Sebastian is faster than you….
.. but seems like the tyres played a big part in it. Webber evidently had trouble switching them on, or in fact, had trouble having confidence in them to the same level Seb did.
Either way, he looked pretty damn dejected after the weekend.
RIISE (@riise)
28th March 2011, 19:59
At least Vettel didn’t walk away with the fastest lap, god it was tough to find any faults with Vettel’s performance all through the weekend.
Webber on the other hand…poor pace considering his equipment and even then I would’ve expected him to be 3/4 tenths slower than Vettel, not 8!!
Eggry (@eggry)
28th March 2011, 20:13
I’m afraid that Webber lost his mojo completely. of course he is still great driver but he has not outpaced Vettel since 2010 Hungary.
David-A (@david-a)
28th March 2011, 20:29
And even there, it was Vettel’s blunder that handed him the win.
dennis (@dennis)
28th March 2011, 21:16
Yeah, out”paced” isn’t the right word.
I think I would have to go back to Catalunya, where no one could touch Webber.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
28th March 2011, 23:01
Where Vettel had a flawed chassis that caused him problems in consecutive races… Once th chassis was changed out Webber never touched him again on pace.
Mitchell Jordan
29th March 2011, 0:47
The Chassis was changed and Webber was given his damaged chassis?
Toro Stevo (@toro-stevo)
29th March 2011, 0:53
What wasn’t really reported after that race was that they inspected Webber’s chassis and it had the same types of cracks.
And then they patched the cracks in Sebastian’s chassis, and Webber used it to win in Silverstone and Hungary (after his other cracked one was written off in Valencia). It was only the subsequent chassis for both after that where the gap widened.
Ned Flanders
28th March 2011, 21:51
Well, he certainly outpaced him at Spa…
Eggry (@eggry)
29th March 2011, 4:33
Oh well, you’d rather call it outpaced, Vettel commit suicide.
Eggry (@eggry)
29th March 2011, 4:56
Sorry for my horrible english. You’d rather call it Vettel commited suicide rather than Webber outpaced him.
Mr draw
28th March 2011, 20:14
Yeah, Webber was the disappointment of the weekend. I guess the telemetry would have shown where he lost ground, so I expected him to be much stronger in the race. Nevertheless, he would have been on the podium, hadn’t it been for his bad pitstop-strategy. It seems that he lost his 4th place because of his slow final pitstop.
Gill
29th March 2011, 7:48
No, he went of the track to gravel and that slowed him down.
Mr draw
29th March 2011, 14:25
That didn’t help him either, but his final pitstop was considerably slower than Alonso’s, if my memory doesn’t fail me.
Bren
28th March 2011, 20:14
anyone find out why he parked it on slow down lap?
was it out of disgust or was there a technical reason?
baring in mind it was his home gp too
Arun Srini
28th March 2011, 20:20
I think it was because of the former reason. I am not liking his attitude of late.
butterdori (@butterdori)
28th March 2011, 22:06
Don’t go accusing things like that by speculation
As far as I know, it was because the car was overheating
Pinball - roadography.com
28th March 2011, 22:18
Whilst we are speculating I’ll throw my theory into the ring. He didn’t have time to do a warm down lap as he had to get to the airport ASAP to give himself enough time to work out how to use the self serve check in machine that QANTAS makes everyone use, and work out how to attach the luggage label to his bag, drop off his bag, and then answer question as to whether his luggage has a “q-code or a thermal tag”.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th March 2011, 8:49
I heard it was actually RBR making sure he still had enough fuel left for scrutineering. Seems its still a pretty tough job getting the fuel exactly right, DiResta also mentioned fuel was a bit of a concern during the race.
eddie3
31st March 2011, 18:52
The team told him to park so as not to run afoul of weight regulations.
Jon
28th March 2011, 20:20
I’m sure Vettel could have easy grabbed fastest lap, but he had no need to because of his massive lead
Babis1980
29th March 2011, 9:18
I don’t think so. Felipe did the lap with fresh soft tyres, 7 laps before the end of the race. In that time Vettel was lapping in late 1.30s so no he couldn’t.
S.J.M (@sjm)
28th March 2011, 20:28
Car looks fast, but chewed its tyres up.
Things ive read about the RB6s lack of KERs is maaking me wonder if the cars sidepods wont allow for KERs like the other teams have, or make it hard to accomadate? They are by far the smallest on the grid. Its purley speculation on my part, no doubt answered in Sepang where KERs will be nice to have.
F1Yankee (@f1yankee)
28th March 2011, 21:00
i think you’re right – horner said newey wasn’t willing to compromise the aero to fit kers. i’m sure they are working on making it fit.
S.J.M (@sjm)
28th March 2011, 22:18
I was wondering if its possible for teams to remove KERs for some races, like Monaco and Singapore when its less important, and use the weight distribution to increase the handling? like i said, if thats possible.
brendan
29th March 2011, 7:24
in 09 those were races that it actually helped.
remember lewis won in singapore 09. it gave him extra punch out of the corners
BasCB (@bascb)
29th March 2011, 8:50
I am sure they can. Their system is just a bit more compromized by putting it all over the car instead of in one neat package.
Makes them have more reliability woes with it as well.
phildick (@phildick)
30th March 2011, 10:41
For sure, but I think it is a little more limited now because of the fixed front-rear axle weight distribution rule this season.
BBT (@bbt)
29th March 2011, 13:08
Horner also said they do have KERS already designed into the car but removed it, the doen’t fit in with the comments about about making it fit, they already have, it was consider a reliability risk.
katederby (@katederby)
28th March 2011, 20:33
Seems the talk at RBR is there could be a chassis problem with Webber’s RB7… being stripped down to find the issue. Incredibly bad luck at his home race, again.
Stopping at pit lane, low fuel?
Hare (@hare)
28th March 2011, 20:52
Yeah I wondered about that too. No answers yet?
Mr draw
28th March 2011, 21:31
Yeah, I just read Webber was having problems with his chassis. At least he’s not the only one who is always unlucky in his home GP.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
28th March 2011, 23:04
If that’s true, RBR really need to do a better job with quality control on their chassis. Vettel had chassis problems last year as well until they swapped it out for a new one.
Crackers
28th March 2011, 23:40
I was at the race and noticed that Vettel’s car had a good degree more black heat shielding up the sidepods (to the extent where it covered up part of the Red Bull name) than Webber’s. Could they have been running different specifications of chassis?
Toro Stevo (@toro-stevo)
29th March 2011, 1:05
Maybe a chassis problem. But I don’t think that explains all.
Look at onboard footage from turn 1. Vettel was so much smoother than Webber every time. And the same for turn 10 I think. I don’t know whether that can be all mechanical, but Vettel was driving that car very smoothly.
Gusto
28th March 2011, 20:46
Imagine the scene, a RedBull executive meeting.
So whats this years agenda?
Do we back a WDC superkid, or do we back someone about to hang there gloves up, while knowing that Massa is Alonso`s tail gunner.
It`s a no brainer I`am afraid.
Dan Newton
28th March 2011, 21:18
Did anyone hear what Horner said to Vettel over the radio after the race.
“Great way to start the year. The trophy you wanted.”
Fair enough he probably ment Vettel had got the first win of the year but never the less thats gotta pour salt all over a rather sore Mark Webber.
Not trying to stir anything up, it’s just the first thing I thought when I heard it.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2011, 21:26
Yes I thought it was interesting that the newly-crowned world champion apparently covets winning his team mate’s home race…
TommyB (@tommyb89)
28th March 2011, 21:32
He said he wanted the trophy with the Kangaroo on it as it was different to all the other trophies.
Maybe he wasn’t too chuffed with having a Santander logo the first time he won a Grand Prix.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2011, 21:40
And who could blame him. Still, I’m sceptical. Or should that be cynical?
TommyB (@tommyb89)
28th March 2011, 21:40
I think Vettel is right. Each track should be made to have a trophy that reflects the place or the culture.
US_Peter
28th March 2011, 22:05
Agreed. Corporate trophies are ugly and should be banned.
thatscienceguy
29th March 2011, 9:31
have you not considered that the kangaroo on the trophy was actually a Qantas logo? They were the major sponsor after all.
DavidS (@davids)
29th March 2011, 14:07
The worst ones are Brazils, they are even worse than the generic Santander ones. Both 2010 (green and yellow plastic brick) and ones before that were weird shaped things made out of milk bottle tops.
That’s from 2008, the one in 2009 was more blue. In that pic, it does look like Felipe is seriously considering shoving that trophy somewhere in Lewis Hamilton.
RFB
28th March 2011, 21:33
Just remember that a couple of years ago, Mark won the German Grand Prix in front of Vettel. That’s just normal rivalry between two drivers I would say.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2011, 21:41
That’s true, hadn’t thought of that.
butterdori (@butterdori)
28th March 2011, 22:08
Yep, that’s what I thought the comment was for
Sush Meerkat
28th March 2011, 21:34
Notice how he said “trophy”, not race, when talking about Monaco no one ever says “I want to win that trophy”, its always “I want to win monaco”
Anyway I digress, the reason for Horner saying that is because Vettel likes Kangaroo’s and the trophy used to have a Kangaroo on it.
http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/03/24/vettel-wants-trophy-with-that-bloody-kangaroo-on-it/
Google “Vettel Kangaroo” and see all the results.
dyslexicbunny (@dyslexicbunny)
28th March 2011, 21:54
Googling “Vettel Kangaroo” could lead to absolutely hilarious NSFW pictures.
Challenge issued.
Sush Meerkat
28th March 2011, 22:07
HAHA, I like it, me and a friend James actually started an internet game where you take 3 random words and google them with safe search off… and wonder what the hell those pics have anything to do with the original words.
YouichiHophop
28th March 2011, 21:34
Vettel wanted this trophy, because he likes Kangaroos, and he thought the trphy had a Kangaroo on it.
The older AusGP trophies had Roo’s on them, but the current one doesn’t.
Gusto
28th March 2011, 21:42
Perhaps if Vettel took a road trip through Australia He could actually have a Kangaroo on He`s car. x-)
Toro Stevo (@toro-stevo)
29th March 2011, 1:11
Or he could do a test at Mt Panorama next year instead of Jenson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trr90QgxBnw
Gusto
28th March 2011, 21:28
Yeah, like Webber wasn`t dreaming of it since He started F1. I`am still surprised after what happened at Silverstone last year that He could turn up at work an still give it 110%.
David5
28th March 2011, 21:35
Vettel wanted the austalian trophy because it’s the only one with a kangaroo on it. That’s what he said before the race.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
28th March 2011, 22:33
I can see how it can be read that way but I don’t think Sebastian Vettel or Christian Horner would have the audacity (at least not publicly) to come out with something like that aimed at Mark Webber.
The guy wants to set the precedent and defend his title from the off. That’s the way I see it.
Vishy
29th March 2011, 17:17
Christian Horner is very arrogant. He has a history of saying things like that. Recently he said “McLaren cannot catch us” or something similar. And then his comment on Lewis (not happy with McLaren) was very cheeky.
Pink Pirelli
30th March 2011, 10:34
I’ve always thought that the Oz GP trophy of recent years looks just like a giant Mercedes logo. I know that it’s supposedly modelled on the steering wheel of Sir Jack’s Cooper, but it looks like a Merc logo to me.
MattHT (@mattht)
28th March 2011, 21:30
If Vettel continues his top form, can’t help but feel all the Red Bull eggs will be in one basket before long, specially seeing as Alonso and Hamilton will most likely get the same treatment. I’m still not entirely convinced RBR will be totally dominant this year – there were enough signs this weekend to give the rest of the teams hope.
Rob Haswell
28th March 2011, 21:46
I’m pretty sure neither McLaren nor Red Bull could stand the distaste of sidelining a driver before they’re mathematically out of it.
Just because it’s not illegal doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong.
brendan
29th March 2011, 7:27
hmmmm its a nice thought, but history proves otherwise.
mark
28th March 2011, 21:39
Vettel wanted that trophy because it has a kangaroo on it. Stop looking for trouble that isn’t there.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2011, 21:43
It’s only now that you’ve stated it so plainly that I realise I don’t really believe it.
Rob Haswell
28th March 2011, 21:48
I think that’s quite cynical! Vettel seems like a nice kid, I don’t know why you’re so suspicious.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th March 2011, 21:56
I agree, he seems like a nice guy with a decent sense of humour.
He’s also a world champion, though, and he’s got a team mate to beat.
Mitchtj
29th March 2011, 0:50
Id like to know what you think about Webbers lack of pace. This is very uncharacteristic of him. It is clear there was a problem with his car, now whether that is by accident or on purpose is the question.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th March 2011, 8:54
I think that summs it up nicely. I must say his words after winning the GP certainly sounded like the man now taking charge of the team to go where he wants it to go.
A bit strange to hear his evidently young voice say words you would expect of Alonso or Schumi. But he certainly has the ambition to let these guys behind him soon.
David BR
29th March 2011, 15:46
I’m fairly sure it was psychological. Vettel and Webber tussled badly last year, seems likely that Vettel (and maybe RBR?) would want this rivalry sorted early in his favour. But I don’t see any reason for scuppering Webber deliberately, the season is just starting and they may well have to rely on Webber again as a contender, and they definitely don’t need to dent his confidence to the degree Ferrari have done with Massa (counterproductive as he’s not good enough just now to take points of Alonso’s rivals).
Mari
29th March 2011, 20:22
I think the main reason Seb wanted to win this race is that he failed to finish it the two previous times. A kangaroo is a nice little bonus.
I don’t think it has much to do with Mark, as Seb doesn’t seem concerned with him since Brazil last year. Just knows his place in the team too well.
Sorry for Mark, but I don’t see him outqualifying his teammate in normal circumstances any time soon. Be it his true speed or team orders, we’ll never know for sure.
Deurmat
28th March 2011, 21:51
I have a lot respect for Vettel, but I think he should stop with the “philosophical” rants that he gives after his wins/poles. They make no sense in my opinion and his boss thinks the same.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
28th March 2011, 22:47
It will only take one bad result to knock his confidence and he will be back to normal.
David BR
29th March 2011, 15:49
Or just not have the fastest car, in qualifying or the race. Starting back a few places on the grid will be the real test for Vettel. I like him and think he’s amazingly quick, but I definitely want to see him under pressure again to fight on track and make up positions the hard way. That’s the only way he will be able to prove he is indeed a truly exceptional driver. Or develop into one.
Mitchtj
29th March 2011, 0:50
Bro, they are who they are.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
28th March 2011, 22:45
Impeccable stuff from Vettel, he kept his head down and charged on. That start was one of the best i’ve seen, he nailed it.
Webber on the other hand just couldn’t get near him, worryingly so. I can only think such a huge gap was down to the car.
The choice to not use KERS was a gamble but given how tight they can be on downforce it was well worth the risk, evidently.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th March 2011, 23:30
The Curse of Albert Park strikes again. It is an unwritten rule of the sport that Mark Webber’s success in Australia is inversely proportional to the amount of media hype he receives. How else can you explain that fact that, given a car that is shaping up to be Adrian Newey’s masterpiece, Webber could only equal a result he acheived in a Minardi?
Clay
29th March 2011, 1:35
Just throwing my two cents in… while Webbo made the mistake on his out lap, surely the fact it took 7 and half seconds to change his tyres in that last stop also contributed to him dropping behind Alonso? Certainly when compared to the 3.5 or 4 seconds it took everyone else?
Shame that DC and martin missed that in their commentary…
BasCB (@bascb)
29th March 2011, 8:55
Wow, really. I didn’t notice that. Certainly made it easier on Alonso.
thatscienceguy
29th March 2011, 9:37
DC and Brundle did point out when it happened that the front right wheel had stuck on and they were having trouble getting it off.
katederby (@katederby)
29th March 2011, 10:27
Yep, shame DC and Brundle missed the poor pitstop for Webber, that clearly lost him the place as Alonso also went off the track after his stop.
And kangaroos or not, would be interesting to hear what Christian Horner says if Webber wins at the Nurburgring again…
“that’s the trophy you wanted, the one with the sausage and leather shorts on” :)
DavidS (@davids)
29th March 2011, 14:25
This is pretty much it. He’s under a lot of pressure from local media and fans. Pretty much every journalist wants to interview him, and only him over the course of the week. He’s expected to do stuff like a BBQ or drive across a bridge, as well as the monkey on his back about his previous poor results.
Hopefully, the fickle Australian media will soon stop going as bonkers as they currently are, or he at least moves as far away from them as possible (i.e. the UK). For our sake, I hope the media does stop it’s current frenzy. Especially annoying when you’re in the habit of reading F1 comments, and you catch a glimpse of what Barry from Frankston has to say.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
29th March 2011, 22:59
I wouldn’t say it’s pressure from the ocal media … more a case of them having unrealistic expectations. The main commentators are practically ready to crown him World Champion as soon as he goes to the top of the timing sheets in Free Practice, and they don’t hesitate to mention his name at every opportunity. Jenson Button won the race from fourth on the grid in 2010, so they made a really big deal out of it when Webber qualified on the second row, taking it as proof that Webber would win rather than as proof that he could (which is all Button demonstrated). And that’s not the only time they’ve done it – they go out of their way to talk up Webber’s chances.
open mind
29th March 2011, 2:49
not finding much discussion of the possibly illegal “start only” kers system redbull is rumored to be using… if you search you will find some stories on that… a system charged in the garage and only used for the start for advantage and allowing better cog balancing with the weight savings and better aero because they don’t need to fit the entire system in the car… my point is that if it is proven to not rely on a charge from the field it would be illegal… as it would not be recovering any kinetic energy… also a huge benefit from more braking control… also… seeing talk of wing flexing again…
newey is good… but i bet some close looks will be made…
BBT (@bbt)
29th March 2011, 13:15
That is because it was just a rumour.
Ozzy
29th March 2011, 3:32
The answer is very plain to see: After the ‘inconvenience’ that Webber was to RBR and Vettel last year this year they will be giving him a lesser car than Vettel. Expect Webber be behind vettel in grid and races and RBR announce that they are replacing Webber for next season. Regrettably Webber lost his chance last year at South Korea.
tequilatim
29th March 2011, 4:59
FIA have confirmed Webber’s chassis was actually made of concrete therefore making him much slower than Vettel, and everyone else. The answer is very plain to see.
David-A (@david-a)
29th March 2011, 17:46
Or, more likely, Vettel was fast and Webber was slow.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
29th March 2011, 4:08
To beat Vettel in race pace Webber have to up his driving. He need to bring some magic out of himself.
John Cousins
29th March 2011, 5:31
Um… I think that you are all forgetting that last season there was barely a 10th of a second between them! Have a look at the difference in build between Mark and Seb. If having 1 lap more fuel makes a difference in lap time, then surely the diference in stature has one too. I know they both have to meet minimum weight but it’s got to do with where the ballast is placed in the car. I find it hard to believe that Mark could be THAT much slower or damaging to his tyres than Seb without some kind of mechanical defect playing a role. I guess we will see soon enough though.
dragon
29th March 2011, 5:33
Well, watching it all unfold at the actual race was hugely disappointing. Me and my mate were trying to convince ourselves that Petrov had yet to pit, and were both a little shocked to learn he was racing in position, and Webber was actually 5th.
It’s hard to say, being the first race of the season, whether Webber is still trying to come to grips (no pun intended) with the tyres, or the lack of pace was due to something more sinister. I’m hoping Red Bull clear this up, because 8 tenths is inexcusable if there’s no underlying reason. We all say they’re professional sportsmen, but I always felt that the pressure of a decent car – and therefore an expected podium, at the least – at Albert Park is a bit much for Mark, especially seeing as he’s typically very strong in Malaysia…it’s like a weight has been lifted.
Todfod (@todfod)
29th March 2011, 12:20
This actually isn’t that different from the first race of last season. Webber qualified in a similar position in Bahrain last year, and finished down in 7th place. I think Webber isn’t always fully prepared for the 1st race of the season. It takes him a couple of races to warm up, while his teammate is on the ball right from the beginning. Guess we wil have to wait until after Malaysia to see if its true though.
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
29th March 2011, 12:27
Except at Bahrain Webber admitted making mistakes on his qualifying lap, whereas here he just couldn’t get the performance out of the car (similar to Abu Dhabi).
Wadey
29th March 2011, 6:22
So I have something to say. This is very 3rd level knowledge. I reside in Canberra of Australia and I’m on a forum here that the Australian Defence Community is on. There was a mention on Monday from someone on the forum that – “On race day I managed to get into the RB garage for a tour. Some one else, whom I didnt know, snuck off during the tour to take a photo with Marks Car. However, He actually tripped and knocked the car! The engineers rushed over and apparantly he broke a piece of the car that couldnt be replaced”.
Thats all I heard.
Again – who knows how true it is. But this fella was on the tour and saw it happen.
As for Webber himself – he is prone to silly mistakes in the latter part of this career but I still think he is a great driver. I have always noted that he seems very nervous here. I have been to the last 4 GP’s in Melbourne and he never wants to talk to anyone, he is really cagey in the press and quiet frankly – rude. But everywhere else he goes he is fine. I just think that he struggles under the weight of the Australian Media here and it gets into this head.
No pace since Hungary is a bit harsh. Especially considering he was 0.001 off Vettel during quali in Japan! How about the P1 result also? I just dont like people who rubbish him without thinking first? And by comparison, chucking Fissi into a Ferrari – that was rubbish! What about Barrichellos antics?
phildick (@phildick)
30th March 2011, 11:30
Oh please, come on.
First, Mark was much slower during qualifying, and it was one day before the race day.
Second, I don’t go to races, so maybe someone will enlighten me if there are any ‘tours’ on race day and garages are open. I doubt it.
Oliver
29th March 2011, 12:01
I nowview RedBull the same way I view those scientists who are allowed to carry a big injection that they use on their
victimsvictimspatients (ah got that right finally), with the wide eyed patient confused and unable to reason rationally.If Webber had a choice he should have changed teams but now there is no chance in hell he will be allowed to come close to Vettel. Driver equality is only as good as your last engine map or gear ratio. Because there is no way Webber is almost a second slower than Vettel, heat in tyres or not.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
29th March 2011, 12:59
So after one race, we know that Webber is finished. If it’s so obvious, why doesn’t he just quit the season?
/sarcasm
xline
29th March 2011, 14:33
Red Bull in my view will turn out to be a “Milli Vanilli” fake. Nothing about that team comes across as really being kosher. Everything about that car flexes like trickery. They call it ingenious I call it illegal aids and just because you can’t prove it and just because they keep passing the FIA test doesn’t mean it is legal and within the spirit of the rules. Really it’s a shame to watch. The thing about the Red Bull nose flexing under aero pressure was clear to me when Vettel’s complete nose section suddenly broke off under braking in 2010. But it seems that now they have perfected the laminating process and the whole nose flexes perfectly downwards re-angling the front wing generating higher down force levels in high speed corners. That is not something you teach your children to do I would believe – “Listen son/ daughter, if you can get away with it it’s okay” No! it actually isn’t. It’s cheating. “Without humility victory is a hollow gain”. I now know why there is a Bull in the Red this whole experience is bull!
Tom
29th March 2011, 15:43
I hear you but Redbull wouldn’t be the first or last team to be like that.
Look at the Brabham fan car of decades gone. It wasn’t exactly in the ‘spirit’ of the sport but it wasn’t deemed illegal.
They just had more advanced technology at the time and capitalised on it.
Other teams will also be doing sneaky stuff guranteed.
Heck I was working as crew cheif at a race the other week and we even did a sneaky bit of cheating.
I don’t think it’s right, but if you don’t the other teams will.
xline
29th March 2011, 21:33
That’s exactly it Tom. Knowing you won because you cheated makes for a stale feeling afterwards and not a totally sovereign one. also I would not teach or preach “If you don’t do it some one else will” that is no argument it’s a cop out and a bad one on that. some one just wrote that he is beginning to feel just as gutted and disgusted about Red Bull, Newey and Vettel as he did back then with “Schummel” Schumi, Brawn and Ferrari.
I am guessing people are sensing that there is some wrong something really off putting surrounding Red Bull.
John Cousins
30th March 2011, 7:39
I think that is total ********. If you think there is a team in F1 that isn’t “bending” the rules in more than 1 area then you are kidding yourself. There are no “squeaky clean” tems in F1… none… There is too much as stake and it is simply a case of if the stewards can’t prove it illegal, it means it is legal. That’s the way it always has been and always will be.
dragon
31st March 2011, 0:43
lol @ xline
Red Bull have a fast, LEGAL car. Get over it. If the RB engineers can build a car that passes the FIA test, then perhaps you should take after whichever other manufacturer you support, and quit b***ing about the problem and instead hope they can figure out what it is that RB are doing. Pulling out the ‘cheaters’ card are the words of a sore loser.
John Cousins
31st March 2011, 8:11
@dragon
Amen brother!
Crackers
30th March 2011, 1:29
Formula 1 is in essence an engineering competition. Rules are set out to define limits of how the teams can design their cars. What Red Bull seem to be able to do better than any other team is design their car right up to those limits. As an engineer myself, I can respect that.
Other teams may not have the technical expertise nor the funding to be able to spend the money to push car design to its limits. Red Bull certainly aren’t the first team to do it, and definitely won’t be the last.
Lets not forget that the cars undergo rigorous scrutineering after a race and if the FIA were to find any part of the car outside of the rules, they would not hesitate to disqualify the cars, much as they did to Sauber. What Red Bull are doing is not cheating, simply designing the car to the limits as no other team seems able to do. Saying that they are cheating screams bitterness on your part that your team does not have the ability to keep up with the innovation of Newey and his group of engineers.
Pinball
30th March 2011, 4:22
Excellent comment Crackers.
Tom
29th March 2011, 15:19
Icthyes I agree with you, with the power of the media these days and how we can analyse so much data soo quickly from races, people can jump to conclusions far too quickly.
Look at Alonso last year, before Germany everybody was disregarding him from the championship and laughed when he suggested he’d still be in the fight at the end of the season, but there he was finishing second in the championship just loosing out to Vettel.
Also it seems like people have forgotten that Mark was leading a substantial portion of the championship last year as well thanks to some consistent points scoring.
Ok that may be his best chance at it, but after one race I don’t think he should be discounted as a big contender.
0.8secs in quali and similar difference in time in race are massive and I find it very hard to believe that’s he just gone off the boil and isn’t competitive anymore.
I think it’s a combination of home race pressure and a problem with his car.
As for all of the conspiracy theories I’m not too convinced.
phildick (@phildick)
30th March 2011, 11:41
I agree with everything you wrote. You can’t tell much after one race. Now it’s up to Webber to show his character.
And all the conspiracy theories about RBR and about their car just make me smile.
Oliver
29th March 2011, 17:04
Questioning a driver’s ability and concluding about a driver’s situation within a team, are two different things. Alonso’s driving ability is not apparent to all. But we have all seen how Webber was openly criticized by his team for something that wasn’t his fault. So you can see why its easy to conclude. Redbull can chose to turn his car on and off as they please and leave Webber scratching his head as to his inconsistency.