McLaren on top in first practice at Abu Dhabi

29 comments on “McLaren on top in first practice at Abu Dhabi”

1. 

   Girts (@girts)
   2nd November 2012, 10:50

   An unexpectedly promising beginning to the race weekend, hopefully Jenson and Lewis manage to take the bulls by the horns on Saturday & Sunday as well. That might give Alonso a chance to attack Vettel as the latter is not so strong when unable to fly away at the front.
   1. 

      Younger Hamii (@younger-hamii)
      2nd November 2012, 11:00

      I don’t think it’s really unexpected, McLaren have always gone exceptionally well around Abu Dhabi, not sure if it’s their particularly that it suits Hamilton’s driving style relatively well & the last time that they fought Red Bull hard was Singapore, minus the two long straights, Yas Marina is the ‘Arabian Monaco’ that examines how technically good a car is at changing direction efficiently & rapidly as well as the drivers’ reaction time, particularly in S3. Given these performances alone, perhaps it confirms the MP4-27 is predominantly stronger in low-medium speed circuits than high-speed circuits, although the latter is not necessarily a weakness.

      Only FP1 but still something reasonable to point out.
      1. 

         Atticus (@atticus-2)
         2nd November 2012, 11:23

         @younger-hamii I agree with that. McLarens take roughly 0.5-0.5 secs off of Red Bull in S2 and S3. S2 is arguably decided by top speed, whereas S3 is all about good traction under braking and good mechanical grip in low speed corners through kerbs. Both seem to play onto the hands of the McLarens.
         1. 

            John H (@john-h)
            2nd November 2012, 14:34

            I’m guessing because the track surface is so smooth here, the stiffer suspension doesn’t give the same traction/braking issues as with the more bumpy venues.
2. 

   andae23 (@andae23)
   2nd November 2012, 10:51

   Raikkonen’s session was cut short because of a puncture 15 mins or so from the end (Lotus tweeted that)
3. 

   Bob (@bobthevulcan)
   2nd November 2012, 10:52

   Either Red Bull are sandbagging, or McLaren have emerged as the outside player in determining the driver’s championship. Too early to call anything, I think.
   1. 

      brny666
      2nd November 2012, 10:57

      if the macca guys take the big points though, Fernando’s chances are even worse.
      1. 

         Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
         2nd November 2012, 11:22

         if the Macca guys can lock the front or at least one of them take pole then Vettel would have to “RACE” & then we will see how long his car can resist
         1. 

            ^Mo^
            2nd November 2012, 11:34

            Why would he need to? All he has to do is finish in front of Alonso. There are only two other drivers who can potentially still become WDC, Raikkonen and Webber. And to be honest, neither of them stand a realistic chance as they would have to win each race, and both Alonso and Vettel would have to DNF each race.

            It’s great for McLaren to show some early pace (although, it is still free practice), but they don’t really matter anymore in the championship (yes, in theory, again, hardly a realistic, they can still win the WCC).
            1. 

               Bob (@bobthevulcan)
               2nd November 2012, 11:37

               They do matter. They can’t win anything themselves, but McLaren’s performance could affect Vettel and Alonso’s respective results, thus shifting the balance of the drivers’ title battle.
   2. 

      Eleanore (@leucocrystal)
      2nd November 2012, 11:04

      Or it’ll be just like last year, when it looked like McLaren had the pace all weekend, then Vettel got pole at the very end anyway. (Sorry, I’ve become a pessimist this late in the season.)
      1. 

         Bob (@bobthevulcan)
         2nd November 2012, 11:19

         I suspect it’ll end up that way. It’s not pessimistic, but realistic.
      2. 

         VSI
         2nd November 2012, 11:46

         That pessimism is infectious – I’m coming down with it as well.

         By the way, aren’t RBR/VET on their last engine allocation? What’s the implication of that? Could there be a ray of hope, or am I dreaming.
         1. 

            mnmracer (@mnmracer)
            2nd November 2012, 12:34

            You’re pretty sad if you’re hoping for misfortune to happen to others…
            1. 

               Mark Hitchcock (@mark-hitchcock)
               2nd November 2012, 12:55

               @mnmracer
               No need for that is there?
               Everyone wants a close championship battle and at the moment that only looks like happening if Seb gets a bit of misfortune.
      3. 

         BasCB (@bascb)
         2nd November 2012, 13:04

         Best to keep pessimistic and be surprised by any different results!
   3. 

      AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
      2nd November 2012, 13:36

      @bobthevulcan It could just be that those two huge straights aren’t playing in to the RB8’s hands, which is no surprise.
      1. 

         Bob (@bobthevulcan)
         2nd November 2012, 16:16

         @andrewtanner – Yet the DDRS system seems to have remedied this straight line speed weakness. In India, the Red Bulls weren’t hampered by the long back straight. Which is why, looking at in now, Vettel is on top for FP2.
         1. 

            Kingshark (@kingshark)
            2nd November 2012, 18:31

            @mnmracer

            You’re pretty sad if you’re hoping for misfortune to happen to others…

            Well, most of us want a close championship. Since Red Bull have gifted Vettel a car that is a class of the field and clearly ahead of the pack since Japan, the only way we can have an exciting season finale now is via a misfortune from Vettel. I didn’t hear you complaining when countless people were wishing Alonso a misfortune during the 40-point lead he enjoyed after Hungary.

            Then again, it’s only because Red Bull have a car that since Suzuka has clearly been the best on the grid. If Alonso and Vettel had equal cars, I wouldn’t need or care to wish Vettel bad luck since I’d know Alonso would beat him on merit alone. ;)
         2. 

            AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
            2nd November 2012, 18:40

            @bobthevulcan That will be playing a part but I really doubt they’re gonna be anywhere near the top of the speedtrap still. They’re quick enough in the corners to not have to be though I guess.
4. 

   necrodethmortem (@necrodethmortem)
   2nd November 2012, 10:56

   Wouldn’t be surprised if things turned around when the sun sets. The outcome of this session is meaningless.
5. 

   sam3110 (@sam3110)
   2nd November 2012, 11:05

   Wouldn’t be surprised if Ferrari were sandbagging as well, or at least taking it easier. Practice 3 is usually when we can decide who is on top anyway
6. 

   Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
   2nd November 2012, 11:37

   On the subject of the slower lap times, Nico Hulkenberg said this on team radio halfway through the session: “The grip level seems very, very low for some reason this year. Just very loose overall. Feels like there’s no downforce.”
   1. 

      M30
      2nd November 2012, 12:25

      The track will only be similar to qualifying and race conditions in Free Practice 2. FP1 and FP3 are totally different; we will only see the true story in FP2.
7. 

   Ivan B (@njoydesign)
   2nd November 2012, 11:42

   where is the promised progress from Caterham? The team brought new front wing, new rear wing, new sidepods, new floor, new exhaust system. Where is the gain?
   maybe, it’s only FP1 and we will see more, but at the moment it looks grim
8. 

   Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
   2nd November 2012, 11:49

   Bottas, two tenths behind Maldonado. Just saying…
   1. 

      M30
      2nd November 2012, 12:26

      He is quick, but its only practice.
9. 

   Eggry (@eggry)
   2nd November 2012, 11:56

   so Mclaren came back. Abu Dhabi requires similar characteristics to Singapore so it might be right what Sam Michael said. Anyway, this would be Alonso’s second favorite situation. If Mclarens block Vettel at first corner and Alonso is behind him…
10. 

    AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
    2nd November 2012, 13:38

    Chilton had a smaller gap to Glock than Ma did to De La Rosa but both were at least 1s off the other cars pace.

    I’d say that’s a better effort from Chilton considering this is his first time in an official F1 session.

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