Vettel still has race stint advantage over Webber

2011 Chinese GP FP2 analysis

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Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Shanghai, 2011

The second practice session showed Sebastian Vettel is still able to run longer and faster in a race stint than team mate Mark Webber – and pretty much everyone else.

The Ferrari of Felipe Massa showed good race stint performance while team mate Fernando Alonso was delayed by a technical problem. But the red cars still seem to lack qualifying performance.

Here’s all the data from the second practice session.

Longest stint comparison

This chart shows the drivers’ lap times in their longest individual stint. Use the controls below to show/hide different drivers.

  • Vettel’s 17-lap stint in the high 1’43s and low 1’44s looks by far the strongest
  • Vettel’s later stint on soft tyres is not shown on this chart. He lapped in the 1’43s to begin with and dipped into the 1’42s over eight laps
  • Webber’s later stint was closer to Vettel’s pace
  • Massa did a shorter but competitive-looking run, albeit with a couple of spikes possibly due to traffic
  • Jenson Button’s stint at the end of the session was around one second per lap off Vettel’s pace
  • Nick Heidfeld’s stint compared favourable with Button’s as well

https://www.racefans.net/charts/2011drivercolours.csv

123456789101112131415161718
Sebastian Vettel104.959104.194103.753104.687104.493104.462104.231104.16104.186103.956104.062103.795103.837103.297104.006104.084103.824
Mark Webber106.433105.802105.33105.024105.051104.694104.775104.633104.425104.732104.726105.179105.329
Lewis Hamilton105.737105.41105.07105.712105.867105.516
Jenson Button105.115104.702104.641104.797104.408104.161105.526104.676
Fernando Alonso101.512101.043105.697100.258
Felipe Massa103.971103.202106.933103.822103.498103.726109.671103.814104.082108.164
Michael Schumacher104.592104.888104.875105.232105.432104.998104.914105.042105.461105.12105.835105.179
Nico Rosberg109.608104.53104.707104.561104.544104.73104.879104.833104.974105.421105.968
Nick Heidfeld104.759104.444104.361104.461104.927104.849
Vitaly Petrov105.796105.563105.35105.501106.413104.666105.051106.274
Rubens Barrichello105.35104.827105.002106.139107.71104.816109.869105.276105.287105.526108.481107.012107.592
Pastor Maldonado106.33105.698105.384105.183107.623105.008106.062105.627105.849105.866106.495107.014109.057
Adrian Sutil105.123104.751104.718104.855104.694104.709104.56104.786
Paul di Resta
Kamui Kobayashi104.702104.508104.676104.359104.585105.084104.739104.618
Sergio Perez106.062105.88106.493106.421106.233105.837106.013106.596109.197109.414
Sebastien Buemi103.655106.538102.069102.27104.077101.76
Jaime Alguersuari105.578105.863105.544106.514105.938105.408105.795
Heikki Kovalainen106.578106.795106.1106.929105.979106.372106.675107.385
Jarno Trulli106.18105.521105.861105.845106.173106.18107.932105.561
Narain Karthikeyan107.511107.082107.232108.624108.249108.464107.06108.751107.301
Vitantonio Liuzzi103.85
Timo Glock106.461105.664105.207104.953
Jerome d’Ambrosio108.309106.427106.071106.955106.503105.498105.508105.245105.432105.233105.12105.045105.691105.577105.534105.74106.267106.031

Ultimate lap times

An ultimate lap is a driver’s best three sector times combined.

CarDriverCarUltimate lapGapDeficit to best
11Sebastian VettelRed Bull-Renault1’37.6230.065
23Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1’37.8540.2310.000
34Jenson ButtonMcLaren-Mercedes1’37.8700.2470.065
48Nico RosbergMercedes1’37.9430.3200.000
57Michael SchumacherMercedes1’38.1050.4820.000
66Felipe MassaFerrari1’38.4720.8490.035
710Vitaly PetrovRenault1’38.6881.0650.171
814Adrian SutilForce India-Mercedes1’38.7351.1120.000
99Nick HeidfeldRenault1’38.8051.1820.000
102Mark WebberRed Bull-Renault1’39.1821.5590.145
1116Kamui KobayashiSauber-Ferrari1’39.5081.8850.030
125Fernando AlonsoFerrari1’39.5901.9670.189
1312Pastor MaldonadoWilliams-Cosworth1’39.6552.0320.012
1418Sebastien BuemiToro Rosso-Ferrari1’39.7712.1480.000
1519Jaime AlguersuariToro Rosso-Ferrari1’39.8012.1780.027
1617Sergio PerezSauber-Ferrari1’39.8192.1960.134
1711Rubens BarrichelloWilliams-Cosworth1’39.9062.2830.019
1820Heikki KovalainenLotus-Renault1’40.4762.8530.000
1921Jarno TrulliLotus-Renault1’41.3443.7210.138
2022Narain KarthikeyanHRT-Cosworth1’42.8875.2640.015
2125Jerome d’AmbrosioVirgin-Cosworth1’43.7536.1300.255
2223Vitantonio LiuzziHRT-Cosworth1’43.8506.2270.000
2324Timo GlockVirgin-Cosworth1’44.6977.0740.050

Complete practice times

  • The fastest lap was 1.4 seconds slower than the quickest time from Friday last year – not as large a gap as there was in Malaysia
  • Timo Glock’s Virgin was outside the theoretical 107% time by 0.2s. But he had car trouble and the front runners are unlikely to use soft tyres in Q1
  • Ferrari’s single-lap performance is still a weakness
  • It’s early days but Mercedes appear to be in better shape following their problems in the first two races
  • Perhaps significantly, both HRTs were faster than both Virgins
CarDriverCarBest lapGapStint lapAt timeLaps
11Sebastian VettelRed Bull-Renault1’37.6883/36534
23Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1’37.8540.1661/16122
34Jenson ButtonMcLaren-Mercedes1’37.9350.2471/36231
48Nico RosbergMercedes1’37.9430.2551/13934
57Michael SchumacherMercedes1’38.1050.4171/15729
66Felipe MassaFerrari1’38.5070.8191/33236
714Adrian SutilForce India-Mercedes1’38.7351.0471/36235
89Nick HeidfeldRenault1’38.8051.1172/26825
910Vitaly PetrovRenault1’38.8591.1713/36531
102Mark WebberRed Bull-Renault1’39.3271.6391/25433
1116Kamui KobayashiSauber-Ferrari1’39.5381.8501/25533
1212Pastor MaldonadoWilliams-Cosworth1’39.6671.9791/32237
1318Sebastien BuemiToro Rosso-Ferrari1’39.7712.0831/34518
145Fernando AlonsoFerrari1’39.7792.0911/33517
1519Jaime AlguersuariToro Rosso-Ferrari1’39.8282.1401/34125
1611Rubens BarrichelloWilliams-Cosworth1’39.9252.2371/34832
1717Sergio PerezSauber-Ferrari1’39.9532.2651/35230
1820Heikki KovalainenLotus-Renault1’40.4762.7882/35930
1921Jarno TrulliLotus-Renault1’41.4823.7943/36332
2022Narain KarthikeyanHRT-Cosworth1’42.9025.2141/34525
2123Vitantonio LiuzziHRT-Cosworth1’43.8506.1621/1913
2225Jerome d’AmbrosioVirgin-Cosworth1’44.0086.3202/48835
2324Timo GlockVirgin-Cosworth1’44.7477.0593/33412
2415Paul di RestaForce India-MercedesNo time0

Maximum speeds

  • With the Kinetic Energy Recovery System and Drag Reduction System, the cars are faster on the long straight than they were in last year’s race, where Lewis Hamilton hit a maximum of 318kph (197.59mph)
  • Sebastien Buemi was by far the fastest, hitting 324kph (201.32mph)
#DriverCarEngineSpeedGap
118Sebastien BuemiToro RossoFerrari324.9
210Vitaly PetrovRenaultRenault319.35.6
39Nick HeidfeldRenaultRenault319.15.8
414Adrian SutilForce IndiaMercedes318.36.6
57Michael SchumacherMercedesMercedes317.47.5
66Felipe MassaFerrariFerrari316.58.4
719Jaime AlguersuariToro RossoFerrari315.89.1
82Mark WebberRed BullRenault315.89.1
91Sebastian VettelRed BullRenault315.79.2
105Fernando AlonsoFerrariFerrari314.510.4
114Jenson ButtonMcLarenMercedes314.510.4
128Nico RosbergMercedesMercedes31410.9
1316Kamui KobayashiSauberFerrari31410.9
1417Sergio PerezSauberFerrari313.811.1
153Lewis HamiltonMcLarenMercedes312.812.1
1625Jerome d’AmbrosioVirginCosworth312.212.7
1720Heikki KovalainenLotusRenault312.212.7
1821Jarno TrulliLotusRenault311.513.4
1912Pastor MaldonadoWilliamsCosworth308.316.6
2011Rubens BarrichelloWilliamsCosworth30816.9
2122Narain KarthikeyanHRTCosworth307.417.5
2223Vitantonio LiuzziHRTCosworth307.217.7
2324Timo GlockVirginCosworth306.318.6

2011 Chinese Grand Prix

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    Image © Red Bull/Getty images

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    79 comments on “Vettel still has race stint advantage over Webber”

    1. A brave man to bet against Vettel being the man to beat this weekend, again.

      1. I guess Im brave….. or stupid?

        1. dont make any bets ;)

      2. I don’t know why but today I had a strong thought that Massa will win… fingers crossed!

        1. If he can win here it would be incredible consdering he hasn’t even been faster than his team-mate at Shanghai since 2005.

          I think Turkey’s a good chance for him though!

          1. Agreed, he has always been awesome at Turkey, first driver to win the same gp 3 years in a row after schumi, when he won Turkey from 06-08.

            But I share Fixy’s hope that another driver besides Vettel will win this weekend. I don’t particularly even care who, I’d just like to see someone shake things up.

      3. i did,figured everyone would pick vettel for pole,gambled on scoring more if Hammy can pull smthn outa the bag

    2. Those with high speeds are really going to overtake folks on the straight. In combination of some Wet stuf i think we can rate this race high.

      1. I would think that the ones at the sharp end of it (Like Buemi) will dial in some more downforce – it doesn’t make sense to be that much quicker than the main runners down the straight – they can almost certainly trade some of that off for better average pace around the whole lap.

        I was, however, expecting the McLarens to be quicker than that down the straight the Merc engine has a lot of shove… Perhaps they are running a lot of wing…

        1. you’d certainly hope so, otherwise they’re going to struggle to get decent overtaking opportunities. They did say that in Malaysia they were running slightly steeper wings than usual to try and make up downforce, so maybe they’re going for the same…I mean, last year Hamilton managed 318kph, so to have managed less this year with kers back (and DRS instead of F-duct) must tell you quite alot!

          The Cosworth engines are so far down on speed, that is very surprising!

    3. the teams are wrong on straight speed list

      1. No they aren’t.

        1. i swear i looked like two minutes ago and a few drivers were under different teams. I must be losing it. sorry about that. dementia setting in at 17 clearly…

          1. You had me worried! Maybe you were looking at the engine column.

            1. oh yeh that’s probably it. I probably saw Buemi as Ferrari and Sutil as Mercedes and didn’t take the time to think what column I was looking at [face palm]

    4. I’m hoping that it rains during the race on Sunday. We are two races down, and yet there hasn’t been a fight for the top step of the podium.

      1. that is worrying – there have been too many runaway seasons lately (read Button’s 2009 and now 2011 looks like it will be another). The cycling season is starting to look very interesting compared to F1.

    5. Great stats as always thanks!

    6. Hey Keith. Spent some time sitting at the final two corners at the start of P3. Could be an extra bit of analysis to see who was using drs for whole lap (in this case run from hairpin to final corner) vs who wasn’t. I figured the guys doing race stints weren’t using it but couldn’t be sure. I know that when I was watching red bull weren’t, mclaren weren’t, ferrari weren’t but then were, and Mercedes were using it. Pretty cool thing about being at the tracks is seeing the drs live.

      1. Could that be the reason for Mercedes improved pace?

        If they were using it during their stints it would make them significantly faster than they will be without it during the race.

    7. Vettel’s KERS worked, Webber’s didn’t.

      1. Webber is too old to understand! “This PS2 controller I bloody don’t want can’t be expecting a pony ride this with seb hopping up front bloody well.”

        1. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve read this year…

      2. Yep 3 race weekends in a row now. Shame on RBR for not giving him the tools again to fight for the championship. Something smells, this clearly wouldn’t happen on vets car.

    8. 2010 FP2

      1. Sebastian Vettel 1:35.791
      2. Mark Webber 1:35.995

      2011 FP2

      1. Sebastian Vettel 1’37.688
      2. Lewis Hamilton 1’37.854

      That 2/10s + – is just amazing…

      1. Grabthebull !
        15th April 2011, 10:47

        But redbull are not light!

        1. I never said they were. I was just comparing 2010 and 2011 FP2 P1 and P2 time differences and noting that Vettel had a comparable lead at the end of FP2.

          Furthermore, get your tenses correct. Were light, not are light.

          Cheers, Alex

          1. what’s wrong with “are”. He probably is saying that VET is not as light as HAM when he set that time.

    9. This is getting boring already…

      1. I assume that Vettel being fastest is what that is boring to you.

        That was never a problem with me for Prost, Senna, Mansel and MSC…

        Being fastest is what really matters in the end.

        1. That and winning.

          1. I dont have a problem with Vettel or the fact that he is winning everything. Problem is we dont see any racing for the win. All the racing happens behind him. And we dont want a championship winner halfway through the season.

            1. And we dont want a championship winner halfway through the season.

              It wouldn’t be the first time that happened!

              It’s up to the other teams to compete with Red Bull, and with Vettel in particular.

              But even if you do get a championship winner half way through the season, it shouldn’t detract from what’s happening behind him.

            2. And we dont want a championship winner halfway through the season.

              Does it really matter? Surely what matters more is that we have exciting races.

              I want the right driver to win the championship and if he does it in round nine or round nineteen I’m not too fussed.

              One of the best F1 races I’ve ever seen was Suzuka 2005. The drivers’ championship had already been decided. Did it make the race any less exciting? Not one iota.

              This needless preoccupation with trying to have the championship decided as late as possible is precisely why we have such a conservative points system, which in turn encourages (and rewards) conservative driving.

            3. I think it’s very interesting that someone brought this up as a while ago someone on here raised the point: is the number of races making each one and victories less special than they used to be?

              Of course we’ve only gone from 16 to 20 in all the years I’ve been watching, so it’s not that diluted. But I do think we have seen the implications of a results on the overall championship start to outweigh the quality of the individual race in all but the most exciting races (7.5/10 and above). This is what happened in 2009 so I think the potential for an early champion does have some relevance in the debate.

              After Malaysia we saw a few comments about how good the race was but the result was rubbish (and not just because they don’t support Red Bull). I think that’s pretty indicative of where F1 is at the moment. People want exciting races, but if the championship is a foregone conclusion, it usually means it’s because someone is always winning and as I said last week, a fight for the lead can be as worth as much as 2 points on the rating of the race.

            4. But even if you do get a championship winner half way through the season, it shouldn’t detract from what’s happening behind him.

              Does it really matter? Surely what matters more is that we have exciting races.

            5. A huge part of the excitement is what happens in the championship standings after the race. So while I enjoyed Suzuka 2005, I would have to say that the result being rather inconsequential, did take away a little bit of the excitement away for me. Fighting for the race win has much more of an impact than fighting for 3rd or 4th place. A huge part of F1’s charm is the unpredictability within races, and if the 1st place seems too predictable then a lot of fans will lose interest halfway through the season.

              Lets just hope that Vettel and Red Bull run into a lot of problems sometime soon, as this season is not shaping up to be as good as last year.

            6. If the Championship is won by round nine then surely all the teams will stop development on their cars and focus on next years car. And for me the development race is almost just as exciting as the actual racing.

            7. I can see an answer to this problem…….ban Adrian Newey from the sport.

            8. TheGreatCornholio
              15th April 2011, 23:52

              the not actually having to “race” anyone to win does jar slightly. Its almost more of a time trial really. Does anyone actually know when the last time Vettel had to go wheel to wheel with someone to gain a place cos tbh i can’t remember!

        2. The difference between Vettel and the likes of Senna, Schumacher and Alonso is that he has not yet proven his ability to out-perform his equipment. Vettel is clearly able to extract the maximum from the Red Bull but it’s difficult to compare him to recognised greats whilst all his victories (except Monza 2008) have been in car with a clear pace advantage over the rest of the field.

          To my mind many other drivers on the grid could win in the Red Bull so a lot of the adulation he is receiving seems to be a little premature.

    10. Watch Button lead a McLaren 1-2 on Sunday after Vettel takes another pole! Well… that’s what I’d like to expect anyway.

      I’m hoping the Mercedes are real on their pace – wondering whether to feature them in both the F1 Fanatic and Castrol prediction championships – really enjoying both!

      Nice to see HRT outpace Virgin.

      With regard to Webber – he is in real trouble and if he doesn’t improve I can see him walking away or being pushed away before the end of the year.

      1. Ben I guessed that Button would grab 2nd in Malaysia.

        It was just a guess and I had no real reason for choosing him and nothing really backed up my choice except that it felt right.

        As silly as it may sound I may take your advice on a Macca 1 2.

        1. I put Vettel on pole, but I felt like putting a Macca 1-2 also. Hope we won’t look like fools come Sunday.

    11. Posted this elsewhere, but it does give you some idea of how good the Red Bull car seems to the McLaren drivers.

      “Through the long run it looked like they were quicker than Jenson, maybe a second compared to his long run on soft tyres,” said Hamilton, who added that he had done his long stints on hard tyres.

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/13091304.stm

      1. That is really a very good point. It could explain, for instance, Massa´s behavior. One, two or three very fast laps, followed by one lap very slow. Keith, could you add the type of tyre which each driver used in these stints? It could give a clearer idea of what it was going on.

    12. I can see the graphs again without deselecting/selecting all the boxes. Thanks for the change Keith:).

      And as for Red Bull being on top again: Their time has come, but history shows it will go again.

    13. I’ll tell you this – for all the stick I’ve given HRT, if they outqualify Virgin here I will be very impressed with their efforts.

      OK I never expected miracles from Virgin but to apparently go backwards from where they were last season seems pretty disappointing, although I suppose we’re still in the early stages of the weekend and the season in general.

      1. Some media guys here in Brazil were slashing HRT… they will have to retreat their comments I guess… of course the team is far from good, but they do have a competent and serious guy in the person of Colin Kolles. Let’s wait and see.

    14. interesting move from HRT… I’ll be watching the situation between their pace and virgin’s pace tomorrow…

    15. Someone have to stop him…

      1. Just hoping Mark takes him out in the 1st corner tomorrow.

        1. It would be great but unlikey in this form…

    16. It appears that having a Cosworth is a distinct disadvantage on the Maximum Speed chart.

      Distressing to see Williams towards the bottom of every table – surely they must have something fundamentally wrong with their aero somewhere?

      Also do we know if the Williams KERS is working effectively now?

      1. It is a bit odd considering that a major part of their aero design was the smaller, lower gearbox to get more air on the rear disfusser.

        Not a clue about their KERS.

    17. Did you guys notice the times Kobayashi did in his 8 lap stint? Comparable to Webber’s… of course he could be much lighter, who knows, but I’m liking seeing these guys doing well!

    18. Vettel for pole tomorrow seems like a foregone conclusion already. At this rate this bloke’s gonna break Schumacher’s pole record before Schumi retires for the second time.

      I must say, I was expecting the RB7’s pace in the third sector to be a lot worse than it is. And the only man who has the machinery to take on Seb on equal terms isn’t exactly setting the track alight right now, I hope Webber hits some form quickly.

      As for the championship being decided early on, I don’t want that to happen either. At the end of the day, a battle for the win is a lot more exciting and memorable to me, and I’d rather see a season like 2010 than a Vettel domination.

    19. Wow HRT must be credited for their achievements. Even under such limited fundings and only 3 months to come up with updates to their underperforming F110, and starting to catch Virgin with what is essentially just the influence of a new front end. That is an amazing turnaround !!

    20. Ominous again for Hamilton that he was unwilling or unable to do a proper long stint. Last week, it was Button who did the long run, and it looks like it mattered in the race in terms of set up. Now, neither of them seemed to do a solid run, and as it was, Button was way slower than Vettel. Comparing yesterday to today, I reckon RBR, again, have compromised their set up for the long run, which is why McLaren are getting so close in ultimate lap now, but getting killed on the long runs. McLaren’s only real avenue here is to disturb RBR’s bargain by stealing pole, however many flat-spots or tire-killing set up choices it takes. Hamilton (or Button) has to get out front, and make Vettel use some tire in dirty air. Basically, they have to do to Vettel what Heidfeld did to Hamilton last time.

    21. Really one of the most interesting things this weekend might be the battle between Lotus and Williams – Lotus are putting in quick laps and their speed trap numbers look very healthy compared to the Williams.

      Lotus may manage to get both cars through to Q2 which would be a good achievement if they could manage it. At worst even if they are behind the Williams at the start of the race, if they can hang on to them for a few laps they’ll be past easily on that back straight.

      Gonna be worth watching (possibly unlike Vettel)

    22. For the same reason that some people enjoy watching an individual race more if there’s a close fight for victory, i think the same can be said for the championship.

      Although I wont stop watching if Vettel wins the championship by august, i think some people will, especially the more casual fans who only tune in on a sunday lunch time and see the same car romping away to victory and can predict the result without turning their tv on.

      And dont forget its the casual viewers who pay thr sponsors and broadcasters who pay the teams.

    23. Pirelli reckon that one-stopping is a distinct possibilty.

      http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90734

      1. Vettel has very very low degradation according to that link… That’s an ominous sign for the race.

        1. A very, very ominous sign!

    24. how strange webbers sor far down…smells like red bull are up to something a little fishy to me

      1. Like doing different programmes for each driver?

        No point making one driver slower than the other. *awaits various conspiracy theories*

    25. I agree that Webber is in real trouble if he doesn’t start measuring up to Seb soon enough. I think it would be really interesting to see who replaces him. Do you think that RB will go get another decent, but not fantastic gut to play “#2 driver” to Seb or will they choose the best driver available to really give Sebastian a run for his money?

      If it is the latter, who would that be? I think some drivers would really jump at the chance to drive a Newey-designed car. Maybe Schumacher should end his comeback in a great car to see if he still has what it takes?

      It’s probably way too early for any of this speculation but I cant help but think that far ahead.

      1. I hope it’s Ricciardo :)

    26. I’m wondering how comes RB07 n° 01 is the class of the field and RB07 n° 2 is only the third or fourth best car of the field. I see three explanations :

      A) Being world champion has allowed Vettel to have enough confidence to gain an additional 0.2 to 0.7 seconds advantage to Webber. Vettel hads in team dominance to slight car advantage.

      B) Webber has hit a rough patch and Vettel’s dominance is about to be challenged. This also means that given little on track difficulties, Vettel might be as beatable by Macca et all as Webber has been in the two previous GPs.

      C) As others have pointed out, there is something fishy at Red Bull: The car is by far the class of the field, but only for who Herr Doktor Marko decides so.

      I really hope it’s B, otherwise Keith’s prediction championship will be decided on 4 choices instead of 5, and nobody wants that, don’t we?

      1. My explanation, according to some reports, Webber’s style is simply not suited to the tires. He straightens the car reactively in the corner. He is backs it in more than Vettel. Something like that. Whatever the traces show, result is higher rear tire wear under braking, which, apparently is exacerbated by KERS. Plus, the RB7 appears to be rear-tire hungry, requiring a very tight race set-up.

        Last year, he was very close to Vettel in raw pace, without KERS. Now, with the system, he pays a double price. First, it punishes his style. Second, it must exacerbate his weight disadvantage. He has to carry more balast than Vettel because of his stature, and KERS limits placement of ballast.

    27. rob from inverness
      15th April 2011, 20:58

      What a pleasure to read Keith’s detailed and relevant stats and the informed and perceptive posts from other readers. All in all, it has given me the best take tonight on what’s going on in Shanghai. Just excellent. Keep on keeping on, everyone.

    28. I KNEW HRT would overtake virgin!

    29. I’m not so sure that it is webbers driving style… I mean these guys are all professionals and are able to change and adjust to the new characteristics of the cars, yes some quicker than others, but I still can’t help but think that there is something fishy going on! I mean quali would be closer if it was based on driving style, ie. tyre wear. I’m sure webber will pick up wins and poles once vettel has a solid no 1 status in the team! Redbull should be concerned more about public image than about securing their so called golden boy! Vettel is a good driver, I’m not doubting that, but we all know he is not that good!! He is still not a hamilton or alonso! I still consider webber and vettel very close on ability! Webber more so on race craft…that drive in malaysia was fantastic, and in my opinion the most interesting part of the entire race – apart from the flying rusky!!

    30. I am going out tonight and not really bothered about practice and qualif. Thank you RB.

    31. UKfanatic (@)
      16th April 2011, 0:12

      I’m no engineer but I think there are obvious set-up differences between Vet and Web, caster camber and toe are very different if you watch closely the pics I think Vet uses it to an extreme very unusual last year by the european season Vettel was struggling and he said that the car didnt had evolved following his style as soon as he says that redbull turned it around he says that the car is now ok and he starts winning all races until now, you all know that redbull backs vettel up 1st reason is that he is german 2nd young 3rd talented, he has an unfair advantage over any teammate I understand why redbull believes in him but like i´ve said when he complaines about something he gets it dont start talking that he has grown up its simple its all about the influences you got in the game I’ve followed some of his early career and he wasnt that special not as special as he become.

    32. Its not ridiculous. The facts are starting to mount up. As too is the fishy smell!!! If it were due to tyre wear, quali results would be a lot closer!!!

    33. Don’t correct the record Keith. Sit there smiling little man.

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