Button faces challenge from unusual suspects

31 comments on “Button faces challenge from unusual suspects”

1. 

   f12007v (@f1fan-2000)
   2nd September 2012, 3:15

   Button definately have the grid position and aero-dynamics advantage, but would struggle to get the harder tyres up to temperature,and to make it worst, Mclaren have variations in the tyre warm-ups, so the most likely winner would still be Kimi.

   But I still hope that Alonso and Hamilton would make progress from the midfield to the front. This would be exciting, when the smaller teams (Sauber and Williams) would be in the mix at the front, blocking other drivers to catch up with Button and Raikonnen.
   1. 

      @HoHum (@hohum)
      2nd September 2012, 5:02

      Something wrong with the speedtrap placement, watching Buttons pole lap he was regularly bouncing of the rev-limiter at 322kph, I don’t know what speeds the rest were doing in the same places but it is possible that lower geared cars accelerated faster to the speed-trap but were slower beyond it than Button was. Anybody know for sure ?
      1. 

         Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
         2nd September 2012, 8:59

         @hohum I think those speed have been taken on top of Eau rouge, that was the spot we could see the speed on our screen and in the same range … But I agree quite unusual to take it there as there is still a long straight after that. At least we know the speed entry on that straight, could be a factor (even if as you said, that’s not sure the standing would be the same at the end of the straight)
   2. 

      Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      2nd September 2012, 5:23

      the most likely winner would still be Kimi

      What are you basing this on?
      1. 

         HUHHII (@huhhii)
         2nd September 2012, 11:28

         Lotus’ recent race pace, Kimi’s success in Spa, Button’s rather weak performance on Sundays this season… There are quite many reasons to say so.
2. 

   AmirAnuar (@amiranuar)
   2nd September 2012, 4:02

   i thought lewis is having the lower down force rear wing but his top speed didn’t even reach 300kmph
   1. 

      RL
      2nd September 2012, 4:20

      nah lewis had more downforce than Jenson. And wow he is woefully slow in the speed trap.

      I take it the engineers will be doing a bit of tweaking in the first stop. Or whenever they can adjust it slightly (but it’s still the old wing)
      1. 

         IsaacTham (@isaactham)
         2nd September 2012, 4:57

         I think Hamilton’s higher downforce rear wing will help him in the race, particularly with tyre deg and off the line. Also, with a low 7th gear rev limiter, he has it set up for the race with much lower top speeds (heavier cars and no DRS), so when the low downforce cars (Button and Ferraris) cannot hit their high rev limiters, Hamilton will be able to hit his and take the most advantage of his engine power. Am I intepreting it wrong?
         1. 

            SatchelCharge (@satchelcharge)
            2nd September 2012, 5:08

            I think you’re right about the wing giving him more stability for the first two turns of the race, but he’ll be putting more energy into the tires so probably increased deg. And if Hamilton is at (gearbox limited) top speed, it really doesn’t matter how much power his engine is producing – he can’t use it to go any faster!
            1. 

               IsaacTham (@isaactham)
               2nd September 2012, 5:14

               Yes, but I was thinking that high rev limit cars will not reach their rev limit in the race, while low rev limit, high downforce cars like Saubers and Hamilton will. The rev limit has an effect of ‘pulling’ the car’s speed upwards towards it if it is near enough, i think
            2. 

               Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
               2nd September 2012, 9:09

               But what would be crucial is the difference between a lap with or without DRS. As we know on such track, the advantage is quite huge (a bit more than 1 sec if I’m not mistaken) and those low or high config could react differently while not using DRS. I believe Hamilton will be the fastest in Sector 2 and the difference will be less in pure speed than with DRS.

               @isaactham @satchelcharge For tyre deg, higher downforce could be much beter at this track because blistering was caused by shear force last year … When the cars turn at Pouhon, you have huge sideways effects and the tyre suffer more from that than vertical pressure thus higher downforce is a benefit in that case.

               Even if I think Hamilton wouldn’t be as far as in quali (and yet he still manage to enter top 10, beter than Vettel, we are just speaking of a slow car compared to Jenson), I do believe he will struggle a bit to overtake (or at least will have to overtake in sector 2 instead of Kemmel but could make some show)
            3. 

               Younger Hamii (@younger-hamii)
               2nd September 2012, 10:35

               If Hamilton is to do some overtaking anywhere, It would most likely be in the braking zones like for Bus Stop or Le Combre (that’s If he can get into the slipstream of the car in front) because that extra downforce onboard will enabled to brake much later than others.
3. 

   Infi24r (@infi24r)
   2nd September 2012, 4:20

   This is between Jenson and Kimi.

   I’d be surprised if either Red Bull drivers get above 8th. This could blow the constructors wide open.
   1. 

      @HoHum (@hohum)
      2nd September 2012, 5:29

      Are you the same Thomas that didn’t rate JB as a credible number 2 driver earlier this week ?
      1. 

         Julian (@julian)
         2nd September 2012, 6:25

         Well if he’s in the running to win it then he isn’t a credible number 2 is he ;)
   2. 

      Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
      2nd September 2012, 8:43

      I think they will, they have had good race pace so far this season and as the speed traps show they have clearly sacrificed some qualifying pace for a race advantage.
4. 

   Eggry (@eggry)
   2nd September 2012, 4:34

   If Button and MP4-27 works as in qualifying, there’s little chance to catch him. But I think that stunning performance is sort of fortunate sweetspot.
   1. 

      Lord Stig (@lord-stig)
      2nd September 2012, 6:06

      It will be interesting to see how that qualifying pace advantage translates to the race. Tire degradation may not be in Jenson’s favor as he has opted for a low downforce setup. Raikkonen has the opposite setup.
   2. 

      Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      2nd September 2012, 6:40

      Drivers don’t typically set lap times in the race that are on par with their qualifying times. Button was obviously fuelled lightly when he set his pole time, so it’s certainly not representative of how the car will perform when it is loaded with fuel.
5. 

   SatchelCharge (@satchelcharge)
   2nd September 2012, 5:03

   I am of the opinion that the weather will wholly decide whether or not Button challenges a win – track temp, humidity, cloud cover, whether or not it rains before the race… I don’t understand his inconsistency unless this is the reason. Like @eggry says his small sweetspot, however fast it is, has a chance of disappearing.
6. 

   Martin (@aardvark)
   2nd September 2012, 7:52

   Amazing how different the setups are for Jenson and Lewis. Looking at their position on sector times it was 1/5/1 for Jenson and 17/3/14 for Lewis. Completely different views as to the fastest way around the track.

   You’d expect the Sector 2 time to be most important because it’s the longest sector, but in Lewis’s case the times for the other two sectors were so woeful his good Sector 2 time couldn’t compensate. I’m sure he’s not a happy chappie when he looks at the numbers.
7. 

   KaIIe (@kaiie)
   2nd September 2012, 8:11

   “Red Bull and Ferrari are two names which have not featured near the top of the maximum speed traps often this year, but their low-downforce configuration for Spa appears to have changed that.”

   Maybe that’s because the speed trap is at Raidillon, where the cars are definitely not doing maximum speed. Intermediate 1 top speed is much more better for comparing straight line speeds.
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      2nd September 2012, 9:38

      @kaiie Agreed – I’ve changed the figures in the article accordingly. Thanks for pointing that out.
      1. 

         Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
         2nd September 2012, 10:08

         And we have quite a different story and RedBull could worry about passing a Sauber, that’s almost the only combinaison for which DRS is not enough, they will have to find something else.
8. 

   Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
   2nd September 2012, 10:16

   Wow those Sauber are strange … They manage the fastest speed but their strongest sector is the second, how could it be explained ? This could make them very difficult to be passed
   1. 

      AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
      2nd September 2012, 13:01

      @jeanrien Kobayashi could have got a tow I guess? Sauber are usually very high up in the speed trap anyways.
9. 

   Yoshisune (@yobo01)
   2nd September 2012, 10:53

   Wow, it looks quite bad for Red Bull. Not only they don’t have a good pace (on a single lap, ok), but they have the lowest top speed. I don’t think that they will be in the top 5.
10. 

    Lin1876 (@lin1876)
    2nd September 2012, 11:18

    If Button can capture the same balance and speed as yesterday then I don’t see him being beaten. However, that’s not certain at all, and everyone down to Alonso probably feel like they have a great chance to win. I’ll be interested to see how Kobayashi deals with being on the front row with a genuine shot at the win.

    Hamilton must be ruing his choice now. Not only are his lap times slow, but if he finds himself on the defensive he could be a sitting duck. Also, as anyone who watched the GP2 race will know, he’s right in the range of the first lap chaos which often strikes at Spa.
    1. 

       Nickpkr
       2nd September 2012, 11:36

       Maldonado’s Duck I will say, is one major team screw up once again, wonder if this all result for not signing yet ?
       As the team attitude to make HAM champion doesn’t seem to be there, to me looks like they are going full for WCC which means BUT most be able to drive the car cause HAM will do it anyways and they need just need more points than Redbull and lotus only.
11. 

    AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
    2nd September 2012, 13:00

    Such a staggering KPH difference from Kobayashi to Perez, it’s huge, bigger than usual.

    I expect Sauber will drop back but still finish in the points, owing to their good use of the tyres.
12. 

    sumedh
    2nd September 2012, 15:23

    Aah well! The only challenge Button had was to get past the hair-pin before the RoGro created carnage reached him

Comments are closed.