Webber stuns Vettel with pole position in Korea

125 comments on “Webber stuns Vettel with pole position in Korea”

1. RajeshKankavlik
   13th October 2012, 6:12

   RT @f1fanatic_co_uk: Webber stuns Vettel with pole position in Korea: http://t.co/G1zAreoq #F1
2. NAKE_MOTORS
   13th October 2012, 6:13

   RT @f1fanatic_co_uk: Webber stuns Vettel with pole position in Korea: http://t.co/G1zAreoq #F1
3. 

   Eggry (@eggry)
   13th October 2012, 7:14

   Alonso and Hamilton did excellent job, Webber either. Tomorrow would be interesting unless 2 Red Bulls run away from the rest of the grid, or team order deployed.
   1. 

      BasCB (@bascb)
      13th October 2012, 7:25

      Lets hope it doesn’t come to that!
      1. 

         Kingshark (@kingshark)
         13th October 2012, 7:37

         Considering Webber’s typical snail pace at the start and Vettel starting on the dirty side of the grid, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lewis lead in turn 1. If not then, than surely he should get at least one Red Bull by the end of the first sector due obvious reasons.

         Luckily, even with DDRS, Red Bull have about equal top speed than my grandfather’s 1973 Honda Civic which is missing all but one cylinder.
         1. 

            raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
            13th October 2012, 8:06

            @Kingshark P3 is not a good place off the start. If you get a better start than even P1 and P2, you’re boxed in. The track is rather narrow into T1 – you have no space on the right, but P2 is coming on the left. Look at the 2011 start – Button made a flying start from P3 but gets boxed in as the poleman swerves right for the braking into T1.

            I am confident that by T4 – Vettel will lead, by hook or by crook (by bad Webber start, or by team order)
            1. 

               Enigma (@enigma)
               13th October 2012, 11:08

               @raymondu999 Team order? I don’t think they’d do that on lap 1, would they? A bit risky with others so close.
         2. 

            Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
            13th October 2012, 14:04

            @kingshark –

            luckily, even with DDRS, Red Bull have about equal top speed than my grandfather’s 1973 Honda Civic

            I appreciate the pun, but Red Bull were actually very competitive in the speed traps. That pun applies more to McLaren or indeed to a lesser extent Ferrari.
            1. 

               George (@george)
               13th October 2012, 15:41

               @vettel1 Wasn’t that down to their special DRS though? I guess we’ll see in the race.
   2. 

      F1fanNL (@)
      13th October 2012, 7:53

      Because only Ferrari are allowed to use team orders,… Right?
      1. 

         Kingshark (@kingshark)
         13th October 2012, 8:43

         P3 is not a good place off the start. If you get a better start than even P1 and P2, you’re boxed in. The track is rather narrow into T1 – you have no space on the right, but P2 is coming on the left. Look at the 2011 start – Button made a flying start from P3 but gets boxed in as the poleman swerves right for the braking into T1.

         Actually, the track is very wide everywhere. What makes you think Hamilton will try the outside, rather than the inside?

         I am confident that by T4 – Vettel will lead, by hook or by crook (by bad Webber start, or by team order)

         Team orders after 4 corners? Doubt it, and I highly doubt any Red Bull will be leading by the first sector. Their top speed is too mediocre for that.
         1. 

            raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
            13th October 2012, 10:18

            @Kingshark there is no space to the outside in T1. I’ve been here for all three races – the track is not wide enough to go around the outside of T1 at the start.

            Hamilton, like I said, will not be able to even go for the inside, because the stretch isn’t long enough for P2 to lose too much. Unless he drives through Vettel he can’t physically BE on the inside. Not to mention diving for the inside at T1 at the start means you have a compromised run down 1.5km of straight. Also the last start we had here there was no difference between clean and dirty sides – not enough to make a difference to the start order.

            Don’t forget the two Red Bulls are quicker than Hamilton through Sector 1 this weekend. They lose the DDRS in the race, but so too will McLaren (yes, that has slipped under the radar, introduced at Spa). The Red Bulls have also always geared their last gear for DRS-limited top speed anyways.

            I’m not saying team orders after 4 corners – I think Seb will make a better job of the first sector legitimately. Even if it was a team orders thing, it would probably be early on, probably as early as Lap 2 – then have Webber hold the pack up as Seb romped away.
            1. 

               David BR2
               13th October 2012, 13:59

               I think Vettel will be ahead too within a few laps. Just by pressing hard and Webber under instruction not to defend too aggressively. Though personally I’d be happy to see a bit of Istanbul-type action, I doubt it will happen!

               Given he really has to win, Hamilton has to choose between being aggressive in the first few laps or being Alonso cool and hoping McLaren can put together a race-winning strategy with Vettel not pulling away into the sunset. Hmm. So green light for aggressive maybe.
         2. 

            Guilherme (@guilherme)
            13th October 2012, 17:29

            @kingshark

            Doubt it, and I highly doubt any Red Bull will be leading by the first sector. Their top speed is too mediocre for that.

            I don’t see any logic in this. Last year McLaren’s top speed advantage over Red Bull was slightly bigger than yesterday, yet it was Vettel who was all over Hamilton on the first sector and overtook him going into T4.
         3. 

            raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
            14th October 2012, 15:04

            @Kingshark so as I was saying, about the starting grid…
      2. 

         Todfod (@todfod)
         13th October 2012, 8:44

         @f1fannl At least Ferrari are honest enough to openly admit they do. Which is better than Horner’s philosophy of 2010 where team orders weren’t a part of Red Bull culture.. blah blah. and yet ensuring he does everything to make Vettel come out on top
         1. 

            F1fanNL (@)
            13th October 2012, 8:51

            “For sure we don’t have team orders”

            Yes, very open.
         2. 

            HxCas (@hxcas)
            13th October 2012, 9:04

            Red Bull hasn’t tried to hide team orders – they have shown in the past that when they want Webber to move over they will tell him. Whether or not he listens is another story.
         3. 

            matt90 (@matt90)
            13th October 2012, 10:34

            Ferrari never admitted to using team orders in 2010. Otherwise they would have been heavily fined.
   3. 

      Melchior (@)
      13th October 2012, 10:05

      Team orders are Webbers continual “Dodgy” starts when he is anywhere near Vettel on the grid.
      1. 

         suka (@suka)
         13th October 2012, 13:44

         +1
   4. 

      JCost (@jcost)
      13th October 2012, 13:53

      Key to prevent successful team orders will be drivers jumping Vettel off the grid, if Hamilton or Alonso manage to split the Bulls it will harder to deploy team orders favoring Vettel.
   5. 

      Mike (@mike)
      13th October 2012, 14:21

      I think the Ferrari is better than what people are saying, I think race pace will be on their side.
4. 

   F1 Fun-attic!
   13th October 2012, 7:15

   Never underestimate the weather and webber!

   all we need now is for alonso and vettel to take each other out and for Raikkonen and Hamilton to move up, and suddenly we are back to a 4 horse race!
   1. 

      John H (@john-h)
      13th October 2012, 9:58

      I wouldn’t be surprised if Webber doesn’t put up too much of a fight if Hamilton sends one up the inside. Make no mistake, I’m sure he wants Red Bull to win the constructors but Vettel win a 3rd drivers? No chance.
      1. 

         Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
         13th October 2012, 11:46

         @john-h – If Webber deliberately hinders Vettel’s championship pursuit then don’t be expecting him in Red Bull colours next year, contract or no contract.
         1. 

            suka (@suka)
            13th October 2012, 13:47

            That is true.
         2. 

            John H (@john-h)
            13th October 2012, 14:35

            Well, if you clasify not “destroying Hamilton’s race” to quote a race engineer, it’s not really deliberately hindering Vettel.

            Come on, remember being told at Silverstone to move aside and him refusing? Tell me, what car does Mark still drive these days?
   2. 

      JCost (@jcost)
      13th October 2012, 13:55

      Hehhehe.

      Where’s GRO?
      1. 

         @HoHum (@hohum)
         13th October 2012, 23:28

         @jcost, GRO is right behind his teamate and next to Massa who is right behind his teamate, both Gro and Mas are quick starters, recipe for…..?
5. FernandoH_26
   13th October 2012, 6:15

   RT @f1fanatic_co_uk: Webber stuns Vettel with pole position in Korea: http://t.co/G1zAreoq #F1
6. 

   Brace (@brace)
   13th October 2012, 7:17

   Did anyone notice Red Bull pit wall after quali? They looked as if they’ve just lost a pole, instead of winning it.
   1. 

      andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
      13th October 2012, 7:48

      @brace
      yup, all of them had straight faces, i noticed that too. one can understand they expected and wanted vettel to be on pole, given the championship battle, but its a bit insulting towards webber.
      1. 

         AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
         13th October 2012, 23:44

         @andrewf1 Technically it shouldn’t matter to them which driver qualifies where with respect to their positions but obviously that’s not the case.
   2. 

      Coanda (@ming-mong)
      13th October 2012, 7:50

      what’s new… Same old same old… I really hope Webber gets some lady luck & punishes them tomorrow!
      1. 

         caci99 (@)
         13th October 2012, 8:14

         And look who choose to stay with them one more year.
         1. 

            Coanda (@ming-mong)
            13th October 2012, 9:23

            I think this year he should have held off until the end of the season…
         2. 

            Adam B (@lurker)
            13th October 2012, 9:24

            Mark stayed because of Mr Adrian Newey, and the fact that Red Bull have the budget to give equal spec cars at each race. It is in their best interests to give Mark AND Vettel the best cars they can so that they can demolish the constructors title. The fact that Helmut Marko and some of the other management crew are blatantly behind their golden boy is just one of those ‘facts of life’ that Mark has to deal with. The simple fact is, political BS aside, they still turn out a car that Mark is able to win races with (e.g. Silverstone and Monaco). That’s why he stays. He would not necessarily have that opportunity at other teams (e.g. Ferrari).

            I don’t like Red Bull’s politics, and I’m sure Mark is less than thrilled either, but he’s still won ALL of his races with Red Bull.
            1. 

               FormulaLes
               13th October 2012, 9:38

               Who is the other management crew you talk of? I remember reading that Webber negotiates his contracts directly with Dietrich Mateschitz. He also co-owns a GP3 team with Christian Horner. So I would assume he has pretty solid relationships with both of them. So taking those two out of the equation who are the remaining management crew that are apparently behind “their golden boy”.
            2. 

               JCost (@jcost)
               13th October 2012, 13:58

               I’m one of those who believe Marko’s fave driver is Vettel and I think it is because Vettel is better than Webber, not because his eyes are greener.
            3. 

               RL
               13th October 2012, 14:41

               I think Webber owes Red Bull as much, if not more than the other way around. Good point about the wins, about the near-WDC victory. If I remember correctly coming into Abu Dhabi in 2010 he was ahead of Vettel on points.

               And considering the context of Marko, I empathize as to his preference for the German golden boy Vettel.
            4. 

               @HoHum (@hohum)
               13th October 2012, 23:33

               And Webber “has a life” in England ,lives not far away from RBR, that has to be a consideration.
   3. 

      Hotbottoms (@hotbottoms)
      13th October 2012, 13:22

      You are reading way too much into it, since we didn’t see the pit wall until a minute or so after Red Bull had claimed 1-2. Whoever was on the radio, sounded genuinely joyful when informing Webber about his pole position. Webber’s pole position is not a problem for Red Bull or Vettel – if Mark is still leading towards the end of the race, Red Bull may just order him to let Vettel pass.
7. 

   Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
   13th October 2012, 7:19

   Wonder if they’ll penalize Grosjean, Kimi and all those that went faster after Ricciardo parked his car on the track.

   I guess they should be penalized. Iit’s the old discussion: surely a personal best isn’t “slowing down enough” but what is it, then?
   1. 

      BasCB (@bascb)
      13th October 2012, 7:26

      Grosjean said he lost about 7 tenths from the yellow, so I guess he should be OK. Kimi was less clear on how much he slowed down, but from what Renault mentioned earlier they should both be fine.
      1. 

         panache (@panache)
         13th October 2012, 7:45

         If Grosjean lost 7 tenths due to the yellow then he could have been on pole.
         1. 

            Estesark (@estesark)
            13th October 2012, 8:10

            Except that he lost time in Q2, not Q3.
   2. 

      bag0 (@bag0)
      13th October 2012, 12:37

      @fer-no65

      Apparently they wont be penalized. I think it is down to stewart inconsistency again, sometimes they hand out penatlies easily for sutch things, sometimes it seems like nothing have happened. But handing out a penatly in this case wouldnt change mutch to the drivers they knocked out, which is the biggest problem I think.
      1. 

         sorin (@)
         13th October 2012, 18:08

         ‘stewart inconsistency’ ? Did you see the telemetry of the cars in that corners?? Me neither.
   3. 

      sorin (@)
      13th October 2012, 18:13

      @fer-no65 If Alonso or Ferrari didn’t say nothing about this, then everything is alright.
8. 

   Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
   13th October 2012, 7:19

   I didn’t hear this on the radio:

   Vettel/Rocquelin full radio read: “Why did you not tell me about Massa?” “What was I supposed to say? He was on a timed lap, a green time”

   http://twitter.com/virtualstatman/statuses/257001703243669504
   1. 

      Eggry (@eggry)
      13th October 2012, 7:22

      Haha, funny.
   2. 

      t3x (@t3x)
      13th October 2012, 7:31

      I was wondering what Vettel was yelling about, he thought Massa was on an in lap?
   3. 

      DaveW (@dmw)
      13th October 2012, 7:42

      Vettel messed up s1 badly so that was just a lame obvious attempt to save face. Hopefully the team are similarly unmoved when he demands them to “do something” about webber tomorrow.
      1. 

         F1fanNL (@)
         13th October 2012, 8:01

         Yeah, because having someone enter the pits in front of you going slower on the racing line and causing turbulence in a high speed corner before the start finish strait when you start your lap obviously doesn’t affect your time in any way….
   4. 

      Bwal87 (@bwal87)
      13th October 2012, 8:22

      Vettel does seem to have a genuinely unpleasant side to him, in spite of the best efforts of his PR team. There was today’s bizarre lashing out at Rocky, as well as the ‘but I want to win’ and ‘do something’ messages at the 2011 and 2012 Hungarian races respectively. Not to mention the Karthikeyan cucumber comment (which he didn’t apologise for) and the finger pointing at the Pirelli guy in the Spa paddock. It seems that he can’t quite compute the idea that it might occasionally be his own fault that he cannot brandish his finger.
      1. 

         sumedh
         13th October 2012, 8:54

         You call it an “unpleasant side”. I call it “Killer Instinct”. If he wasn’t so vocal about every little thing, he wouldn’t have become the youngest two time WDC.
         1. 

            John H (@john-h)
            13th October 2012, 10:00

            I call it both things.
         2. 

            Bwal87 (@bwal87)
            13th October 2012, 10:27

            I appreciate he has a killer instinct. For me though, that has showed itself in his ability throughout his title years to pull brilliant Q3 laps out of the bag, to control races from the front and to refocus himself after his 2010 Korean GP engine blow to produce perfect performances when they were most needed in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. These petulant, brattish outbursts are unnecessary and make me wonder whether the nice guy image we see away from the track is a manufactured facade.
            1. 

               artificial racer
               14th October 2012, 1:53

               That’s a bit of a stretch. Have you ever competed in something? I’m normally a nice guy… but get me losing in a video game for example and I’m prone to yell some rather unflattering things at the walls.
            2. 

               artificial racer
               14th October 2012, 1:56

               I guess the bigger point here is that saying “why didn’t you tell me about Massa”? is a pretty benign outburst and was made in the moment of finding out he lost pole. By the time of the driver interview he was fine and admitted losing time in the second sector regardless of Massa. But with less than a tenth, the Massa thing could easily have made the difference. Webbah’s lap had a mistake in the final sector.
         3. 

            Franton
            13th October 2012, 14:19

            Oddly enough, the rest of us call it “whining” … you know, that thing everyone accuses Hamilton of doing but without providing actual proof of it.
      2. 

         leotef (@leotef)
         13th October 2012, 9:32

         Maybe he’s mocking all time the greatest Schumacher ?
   5. 

      Zubair (@zubair380)
      13th October 2012, 10:11

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7lAoQUoaSw&feature=plcp
   6. 

      xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
      13th October 2012, 11:20

      I believe that this clears up the matter
      http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2012/10/13920.html
      1. 

         Franton
         13th October 2012, 14:22

         When I read that I thought of this:
         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khA67-r5lSQ
   7. 

      zicasso (@zicasso)
      13th October 2012, 11:42

      I am not a fan but I don’t see anything wrong with this. He is just asking a question about something he didn’t understand and in a noise environment.
9. 

   PaulT (@pault)
   13th October 2012, 7:25

   A great lap from Webber, and a good chance in the race with Vettel on the dirty side and Grosjean well placed to take out Hamilto, Alonso, Raikkonen and Massa :)
   1. 

      claudioff (@claudioff)
      13th October 2012, 12:08

      Nah, I predict that this time he will break so early in the first curve that he will be hit from behind by the german armada (Hulkenberg, Rosberg & Schumacher).
10. 

    AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
    13th October 2012, 7:27

    Webber didn’t just stun Vettel with his pole lap; I have a feeling 90% of the pole predictions in the F1Fanatic predictions championship just went wrong. I hope Mark has a good result tomorrow as well, he needs it. In particular, I hope he still leads after the first lap, so we can see what he can do in clean air.

    In case Webber and Vettel are P1 and P2 at the end of the race, I hope Webber will not hear any “Sebastian is faster than you” messages over the radio. I don’t think RBR will, or should, issue the order if Alonso is still behind Vettel, though. If Alonso is ahead of the Red Bulls with Webber ahead, then it would be a little more reasonable to ask Webber to move over, and then it will be interesting to see if Webber complies…
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       13th October 2012, 7:30

       @adrianmorse

       I have a feeling 90% of the pole predictions in the F1Fanatic predictions championship just went wrong

       You’re not far off – 84.35%:

       http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/predictions-championship/f1-fanatic-predictions-championship-race-by-race-statistics/
       1. 

          Eggry (@eggry)
          13th October 2012, 7:33

          Wow, that’s huge.
       2. 

          NOOK360
          13th October 2012, 7:55

          Actually, that’s 96.71 % wrong predictions ;)
          1. 

             Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
             13th October 2012, 8:10

             I think he was referring to the fact that most people picked Vettel.
       3. 

          caci99 (@)
          13th October 2012, 8:26

          Hmm, nice page that one, never seen before.
       4. 

          Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
          13th October 2012, 9:03

          I think & if i’am not wrong that i am part of the 3.29% who chose Webber
    2. 

       Todfod (@todfod)
       13th October 2012, 7:34

       In case Webber and Vettel are P1 and P2 at the end of the race, I hope Webber will not hear any “Sebastian is faster than you” messages over the radio.

       I’m fairly certain that if Webber is leading from Vettel… Horner will fix the pit stop strategy to make Seb come in front.
       1. 

          ka (@ka12)
          13th October 2012, 7:43

          an interesting thought!
       2. 

          brny666
          13th October 2012, 7:50

          Look at you with all your Horner will do this and that. I really doubt its as simple as Horner pressing the “mess up pit stop” button seeing how Webbers mechanics have to be the ones that do the messing up on purpose. Unless ofcourse Horner decides to start streaking in the middle of Marks pit stop.
          1. 

             Coanda (@ming-mong)
             13th October 2012, 7:54

             nope but he does have a magical clutch slip button he keeps up his sleeve ;)
          2. 

             Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
             13th October 2012, 7:57

             I really doubt its as simple as Horner pressing the “mess up pit stop” button

             There won’t be any button of such sort. However, Vettel tends to be easier on the rubber than Webber, which means, if Webber pits first and gets out in traffic on cold primes and Vettel stays out for an extra 2 laps in clean air on used options, at the front, he’ll easily pass Webber during his stop.

             This is routine for Red Bull.
             1. 

                brny666
                13th October 2012, 14:08

                Than it seems like its Webber’s fault not Vettels. You cant expect the team to compromise Vettel’s strategy because Webber is harder on his tires.
             2. 

                @HoHum (@hohum)
                13th October 2012, 23:46

                Actually, we don’t know how long Webbers tyres last as they always change them while he is still making fast laps, inevitably he is on older tyres than Vettel towards races end, of course Vettel usually has the advantage of clean air.
          3. 

             Franton
             13th October 2012, 19:30

             Actually if the Red Bull’s race off into the distance, that might liven the race up a little!
       3. 

          Gosjean
          13th October 2012, 8:52

          You’re right. Webber often always has little problems with his car. On the rare weekends when he has no technical issue he often performs well. I fully expect Webber to lose p1 tomorrow if Sebastian is p2, even if it’s at the start. Some people cant handle the thought of anyone other than Ferrari being team order villains though…
          1. 

             Todfod (@todfod)
             13th October 2012, 9:36

             Some people cant handle the thought of anyone other than Ferrari being team order villains though…

             I think a lot of them hate the hypocrisy of team orders. Lets not forget that Horner made some holier than thou statements regarding team orders in 2010, and that he said Red Bull would never adopt team orders.

             He made those statements when Webber was leading the championship so that Vettel doesn’t drop out of the WDC hunt.. lets see if he abandons his philosophy this time around
    3. 

       Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
       13th October 2012, 11:31

       I’m not sure wether Red Bull will make Webber relinquish the lead to Vettel, I really don’t think he’d appreciate that given he deservedly got pole position with a fanatstic lap.
       However, I’m sure Webber is an intelligent guy; Vettel realistically is the only Red Bull driver capable of challenging Alonso in the driver’s championship, so for the good of the team he really ought to let Vettel challenge for the win.
       Until race day we will not know but another thought: what’s to say Webber would hold onto position anyway? Vettel is usually a better starter than Webber (albeit he is on the dirty side of the track) as Japan proved, and most likely if he doesn’t get by during the first few corners he will be within the DRS detection zone and, come lap 3, will be able to get a run on him (given how long the DRS zone is/how good Red Bull’s DDRS is).
       I just hope Webber doesn’t do anything unnecessary, such as hold him up if he happens to be faster or intentionally make life difficult for Vettel if he tries to make a pass. I guess we’ll see who’s victorious when the flag drops (you never know it could be Alonso or Hamilton to take it).
    4. 

       Sean (@spaceman1861)
       13th October 2012, 12:57

       Choose webber :) feels good
11. 

    Sankalp Sharma
    13th October 2012, 7:30

    there’s a high probability of Vettel and Alonso losing out to hamilton and raikkonen at the first corner respectively. And Webber may make one of his not so unusual poor starts.
    1. 

       RL
       13th October 2012, 7:34

       Korea may usurp Budapest as the dustiest track in the calendar. And when you’re literally in the countryside, with very little infrastructure to speak of besides the actual course, dust and dirt are even freer to go wherever the wind takes them.
       1. 

          Sankalp Sharma
          13th October 2012, 7:36

          true story. You forgot India though!
    2. 

       Tete
       13th October 2012, 7:36

       Let’s wait and see if kimmi slowed down enough in q2 when the yellow flags were weaving and if hamilton and rosberg are mot penalized for their manouver in the pits
    3. 

       Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
       13th October 2012, 11:43

       The run to the first corner isn’t particularly long though if I’m not mistaken. As usual I expect a fast starting Alonso so I think the guys in front may need to be weary of a threat from behind, but he is on the dirty side of the track.
       As is Vettel, but he isn’t to shoddy at starts himself. I expect Webber to have to defend if not drop a few places.
       I really don’t know about Hamilton. He has a great opportunity to gain a place or two at the start, but with how he’s been driving round that first corner this weekend I don’t expect too much.
       I predict going onto the straight the order will be: Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Hamilton.
    4. 

       @HoHum (@hohum)
       13th October 2012, 23:53

       The poor starts seem to have gone away this year, he does however often lose places by being careful in T1.
12. 

    ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero)
    13th October 2012, 7:38

    Wow, really appreciate ESPN/Star Sports for their coverage, which hasn’t even aired yet.
    1. 

       Julian (@julian)
       13th October 2012, 8:07

       Ouch.
    2. 

       raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
       13th October 2012, 8:14

       @scuderiavincero I had the bad luck of watching a GP through their coverage several times – absolutely the worst commentary I’ve ever heard. The color commentator, I’m sorry to say – seems to have no grasp on strategy, and oversensationalises a lot.

       Mind you the summariser – be it Mark Gallagher, Gary Anderson (now off to BBC) or Gary Paffett do great jobs. Just replace the color commentator.

       You have my sympathies.
       1. 

          ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero)
          13th October 2012, 8:24

          Being Malaysian, I’m stuck. While I’ve gotten used to the commentary, sadly the coverage has always taken a backseat to BBC and Sky.

          Enjoy it live in my stead my brethren!
       2. 

          Todfod (@todfod)
          13th October 2012, 8:54

          @raymondu999 Unfortunately I have to deal with their commentary every race weekend. I used to keep count of the number of mistakes Steve Slater made while commentating during a race. On an average
          1) He makes around 8 to 9 wrong driver identifications per race .. (maybe he doesn’t know how to look for the red and yellow colours on top of the car yet.. or maybe he doesn’t even know who the number 1 and number 2 drivers in the teams are). According to Steve Slater we had Kimi Raikkonnen on the grid on 2010
          2) At least 2 wrong team identifications during a race.. (Saubers, Williams and Force India always get mixed up)
          3) He sees cars magically slowing down or having problems whenever they aren’t in the background. Only one out of every 100 times is he right.)
          4) He is absolutely clueless about who have made pit stops and what tyre strategy they are on
          5) He is slower than the average human. At least 10 seconds have passed before Steve Slater realises it
    3. 

       Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
       13th October 2012, 21:20

       I feel sorry for you. Why don´t you just watch it on BBC with a VPN?
       In Denmark we have a commentator that repeatedly overlook even vital things, mix up drivers, thinks replays are things happening, live paired with an ex-racing driver co-commentator that sucks every remaining bit of excitement out of F1.
       I just couldn´t bear it anymore, and I have watched f1 on bbc since 2010. Sadly they only cover half the races live now, due to budget cuts, but the coverage is simply brilliant, with a second to none team of competent, professional and witty people. If someone crashes, they have a journalist on the spot right away to get a comment from the driver, and they walk in and out of team garages, as if it was their home. I feel like i´m almost there, when I watch f1 on bbc – love it!!!
13. 

    andrewf1 (@andrewf1)
    13th October 2012, 7:40

    hamilton was purple up until the last sector, where his sector time was 4 tenths slower than that of vettel, that’s just frustrating that the red bull was so mighty through the last sector. nonetheless, good starting position, considering his first Q3 run where he was 7 tenths slower.

    also, how cool is raikkonen? first time ever on the new circuit, without laps done on the simulator (at least thats what he said), with a car which isnt on par with red bull, and he qualifies 3 tenths behind pole. great stuff
    1. 

       brny666
       13th October 2012, 7:53

       It also looked like the new exhaust layout does in fact give them xtra performance and according to Allison its not even optimised yet and that bodes well for the last few races. I only wish they introduced it earlier.
14. 

    panache (@panache)
    13th October 2012, 8:02

    Nice to see Webber on pole again, although I think there is almost no chance Red Bull will allow him to win the race if Vettel can at this stage in the season. Vettel’s radio transmission and demeanour after being outqualified by Webber was cringeworthy just like some of Hamilton’s antics off the track recently.

    Bit miffed about Button not making it to Q3 as I was looking forward to watching him contend at the front from the start this weekend but hopefully he can still make a good recovery drive. In practice it looked like his Mclaren had a short final gear and slow max speed compared to rivals which does not bode well for his overtaking chances.
15. 

    Zubair (@zubair380)
    13th October 2012, 8:02

    Here’s Vettel’s angry team radio
    
16. 

    F1fanNL (@)
    13th October 2012, 8:03

    What was that all about with Massa. Why did Ferrari send him out just to have him come in again right when he’s setting green times? Where they afraid he was gonna beat Alonso? Or was it just to block Vettel?
    1. 

       Estesark (@estesark)
       13th October 2012, 8:33

       I’d like to know the answer to that as well.
    2. 

       Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
       13th October 2012, 9:11

       Or was it just to block Vettel?

       that’s payback
17. 

    Eggry (@eggry)
    13th October 2012, 8:03

    @andrewf1 @brny666 the exhaust really working. But it might be too late for saving them…as for Kimi, yeah, unbelievable.
18. 

    Zubair (@zubair380)
    13th October 2012, 8:11

    oops looks like that link didn’t post correctly. Here it is again (sorry for the double post)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7lAoQUoaSw&feature=plcp
19. 

    Estesark (@estesark)
    13th October 2012, 8:21

    I wonder how many of us expect Webber to remain in front of Vettel after the:

    a) first corner
    b) first lap
    c) first round of pit stops
    d) chequered flag?

    I’m definitely not expecting either of the last two. Vettel will get past, either through his own pace, strategy or team orders.
    1. 

       Eggry (@eggry)
       13th October 2012, 8:29

       That’s the case when Webber is directly ahead of Vettel. If there’s Alonso or Hamilton between them, they have nothing can do.
    2. 

       Aleksandr (@)
       13th October 2012, 11:06

       a) You
       b) You
       c) You
       d) You
       1. 

          Estesark (@estesark)
          13th October 2012, 12:52

          I don’t get it, @aleksandr. I already said I’m not expecting c) or d).
    3. 

       @HoHum (@hohum)
       14th October 2012, 0:04

       @estesark, Vettel will make a kamikaze dive down the inside of Webber, if Mark doesn’t move over and they crash, it will be Marks fault, if Mark does move over and Vettel gets ahead, it will be Marks fault.
20. 

    caci99 (@)
    13th October 2012, 8:36

    Bravo Webber, a pleasant surprise when I woke up. Unfortunately I don’t think he will fight for the win. The championship battle is so tight that even Webber understands he might gave up his place if the circumstances will allow it. I also feel Grosjean will not do his usual stuff tomorrow, his pattern seems to be one horrible start the other one good.
    1. 

       Eggry (@eggry)
       13th October 2012, 8:58

       Then drivers should be careful when he gets the exhaust!
21. 

    Drezone
    13th October 2012, 8:59

    The look on Vettel’s face was priceless after quali

    He’s still a spoilt brat

    Pity red bull will ask Webber to let him past either at the first corner, pit stops or later in the race

    The only chance for webber to win us to have another car between him and seb
    1. 

       Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
       13th October 2012, 21:28

       I must admit I enjoyed that face a bit too :)
22. 

    Funkyf1 (@funkyf1)
    13th October 2012, 9:20

    I really hope Webber gets a well deserved win just to shut up all you Webber bashers. Give the guy a break.
23. 

    AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
    13th October 2012, 9:21

    I think Webber has a real shot of victory here. I get the feeling he struggled with rear tyre degradation a little in the second half of the season, especially when in traffic, but this track is front-tyre limited, according to the Paul Hembery (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103364), and he shouldn’t be in traffic. Also, he looked very fast here last year too (only on the softs, not on the super softs), but he couldn’t get by Hamilton. As for his starts, they have not been spectacular, but nowhere near as bad as last year, and it’s only a very short run to the first corner.

    In the same autosport article, Hembery said that a one-stop was possible, and that may be very good news for Jenson Button. He doesn’t need to start on used tyres, so he should be able to do a few laps longer on his set of super softs. Whether he can challenge for the podium or even victory will depend on how much time he will lose in the first stint. If Mercedes is slow and he is stuck behind them, the leaders will probably earn a free pit stop over him.
24. 

    xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
    13th October 2012, 9:28

    I really think Vettel will win it tomorrow; his pace at the start of the race is always scintillating
25. 

    kenyaf1
    13th October 2012, 9:47

    I dont oversee any team getting in between the 2 redbulls for the 1st corner unless LH or Alonso try something extra agressive and cause a crash (LH of 2 years ago would most certainly try something, he seems to have outgrown that sort of dangerous driving). The team have to be smart and its better to lock out other team for the first corner and after building some lead they can then race against each other.
    If however they drive as individuals, I would expect someone to loose out a position and my bet is Webber getting passed by vettel in the 1st corner and maybe even Alonso by end of lap1.
    Let’s hope there is no crash tomorrow though and we have a race where none of the top 5 are taken out in the 1st corner.
26. 

    Young One
    13th October 2012, 9:52

    The body language of the three drivers says crash crash at the first corner.
27. 

    fleetmaster
    13th October 2012, 12:14

    Vettel couldn’t hide his true feelings after the radio call of the result…………his reply was that of a spoilt brat !!
    I truly hope Mark gets a good start and Kimi comes flying past Vettel and ties down second place (one can only wish )
    A crash free start would be nice indeed !
28. 

    tobinen (@tobinen)
    13th October 2012, 19:07

    I had Alonso e/w for pole position so slightly disappointed he missed P3 by a tenth or so.

    On the plus side I had Rosberg to beat Schumacher and Raikkonnen to beat Grosjean so I’m slightly up.

    I’m now checking the prices for the race but there aren’t exactly great prices on offer

Comments are closed.