What did you think of the today’s race? Share your verdict on the British Grand Prix.
F1 Fanatic holds polls on each race to find out which fans thought of every race during the season.
Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.
Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:
Rate the 2013 British Grand Prix out of ten
- 10 (10%)
- 9 (29%)
- 8 (27%)
- 7 (11%)
- 6 (6%)
- 5 (6%)
- 4 (2%)
- 3 (3%)
- 2 (2%)
- 1 (5%)
Total Voters: 851
1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’
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This is the 101st edition of Rate the Race – see how the first 100 races were ranked:
2013 British Grand Prix
- Good rating for British GP despite tyre chaos
- Hamilton voted top driver of British Grand Prix
- 2013 British Grand Prix team radio transcript
- 2013 British Grand Prix fans’ video gallery
- 2013 British GP Predictions Championship results
Image © Lotus/LAT
sushant008 (@sushant008)
30th June 2013, 14:38
A nail-biting race all the way for all good n bad reasons.gave it 9!
nackavich (@nackavich)
30th June 2013, 15:19
Gave it a 9 for the same reasons. Sure the tyre dilamenations were dangerous, but after the second one it was pure nervous tension waiting for the next one to happen.
Thought Mark drove exceptionally well, as did Hamilton and Vettel respectively.
Alonso pulled off some great moves and Ricciardo deserved a Top 5 finish. Sutil should’ve been penalized. Most of my points were accrued in tha last 10 laps though.
Luc
30th June 2013, 19:08
Don’t forget Massa, he drove a hell of a race as well!
Philip Edwards (@philed)
30th June 2013, 19:59
+1
photozen (@photozen)
30th June 2013, 22:16
I gave it a 9 as well as it was an exciting race, but not sure if one should use the term dilamenations yet if at all. They exploded, but several are saying it was not due to dilamenations.
I think it could of been caused be the changes to the curbs, the drains in particular, as well as the debris on the track cutting the tires. But the race definitely had some good racing by several drivers in-between the tire issues.
photozen (@photozen)
30th June 2013, 22:21
Actually just read a report that stated that a formal F1 official is saying it was a piece of the kerbing :
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/sports/243389-kerb-could-be-cause-of-tyre-woe-says-former-f1-official.html?
Retired (@jeff1s)
30th June 2013, 15:57
A good race for the bad reasons
Ricardo Yanez (@ricardo)
1st July 2013, 0:10
Great drivers and driving !! Specially Hamilton and Massa but “Pirelli” performance ???
Need and urgent change of tyres supply!!
MethylONE (@methylone)
1st July 2013, 4:05
I just got to watch the race. Wow! I was actually ****** about the tire failures but then we had a real race, Lewis and Mark, wow! Fracking awesome race.
If every F1 race was this competitive in the final stages….
Veldaar (@veldaarf1)
1st July 2013, 12:07
Yes it was,but I gave it a 7. It was just so dangerous and crazy! Tyres were exploding everywhere. It’s a great result for the championship. There were some pleasing non-drs racing. Overall a good entertainer but deadly.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
1st July 2013, 14:36
@veldaarf1 I’m sorry, good for the championship? So it’s good now that tyres randomly explode for no apparent reason? Please, enlighten me to your way of thinking because it seems incredibly schadenfreude and sadistic…
Lewis McMurray (@celicadion23)
1st July 2013, 15:31
i’m pretty sure they mean Vettel retiring was good for the championship since Alonso and Raikkonen have closed the gap….
Pete (@repete86)
30th June 2013, 14:39
It was going to be a 1 for me until that last ten laps. Now it’s a 2.
@HoHum (@hohum)
30th June 2013, 15:18
definitely some serious negative points but as you say the last few laps before and after the last safety car gave us the F1 we want. Av.5+1 =6 from me.
Pete (@repete86)
30th June 2013, 15:28
Yeah, the last few laps had some phenomenal racing, and the Hamilton/DiResta battle was great, but I just can’t get over the tire situation. It’s just dangerous at this point. The fact that no one got hurt is incredibly lucky.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
30th June 2013, 15:59
Without the explosions it would have been a ten but watching on knowing a huge accident could happen at any moment wasn’t fun at all. It was uncomfortable viewing for me.
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey)
30th June 2013, 16:55
This.
Jimmy Hearn (@alebelly74)
30th June 2013, 17:19
Yup, not my kind of spectacle
D (@f190)
30th June 2013, 17:24
I almost couldn’t watch ! Thank god no one was hurt today. 4 blowouts is really bad but when you factor I’m Rosberg and Vettel and any others drivers which cAmerican close then today could have been tragic. Where Perez went Alonso was going to the left and just dropped out in time. A Webber type flip there and your smack into the bridge. F1 was lucky today.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
30th June 2013, 22:16
@f190 that’s a very good point on the last part – that could’ve been carnage. I don’t give a damn what they do with the compounds now or who it will benefit but they need to fix these tyres.
JS (@js)
30th June 2013, 21:16
+1
OmarR-Pepper (@)
30th June 2013, 21:50
@tommyb89 you said it all… +1
TMF (@)
30th June 2013, 16:16
I still had to give it a 1. Frankly the race should have been red flagged. 3 explosions and a couple of other defective tires wasn’t safe anymore. They all were extremely lucky that no incident took place in a corner and just on straights resp. that no one was around Massa.
sato113 (@sato113)
30th June 2013, 18:30
so you gave it a 1 based on tyre safety alone? a ‘terrible’ race? are you blind? I saw a cracking race with some immense wheel to wheel action all the way. 9/10.
TMF (@)
30th June 2013, 18:57
@sato113 if you take the laps after the 2nd SC yep you’re right. But the race itself was a lottery – bordering on russian roulette. And I have a hard time to enjoy entertainment if safety is neglected. But could be that I’m a bit oversensitive after last week.
sato113 (@sato113)
30th June 2013, 19:29
ok but it’s people like you (no offence) who skew these rate the race results every race. giving it a 1 based something but also admitting that some of the race was good. at least a 4 or 5 if you were really appalled by the 4 tyre failures.
yellowsapphire (@yellowsapphire)
30th June 2013, 20:33
It’s also people like you (again, no offence) who skew the results. This race was unsafe. End of.
9/10 for that race? So, what you’re saying is that that race was close to perfect for you and you want more tyre delaminations? You like the unsafe tyres and want them every weekend? Because that’s what ‘9/10’ says.
Alexander (@)
30th June 2013, 21:15
+1
OmarR-Pepper (@)
30th June 2013, 21:57
@yellowsapphire I don’t know how the race rate is with 9 at 29%. I thought the time of fun at the Roman Colisseum had ended, but see that many people liked this “near miss” race
MethylONE (@methylone)
1st July 2013, 4:08
Clearly that isn’t what people mean. Why would you even say that? The race was very exciting, the tire issues were not ‘planned’ or ‘staged’ it is just what happened.
Why would you say that when you know that isn’t what people mean?
yellowsapphire (@yellowsapphire)
1st July 2013, 4:32
Using the scale, 1 is terrible and 10 is perfect. Someone rating Silverstone a 9 would indicate that the race, to them, was ‘almost perfect’, little wrong with it. By rating it ‘almost perfect’ one could probably assume, rather correctly I’d imagine, that the individual enjoyed it, enjoyed the excitement the tyres caused.
Pete (@repete86)
30th June 2013, 21:30
Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen almost got hit in the head at 190 mph by a chunks of steel belted tire because of a politics. Remember when Felipe Massa was hit in the head by a piece of another car at those speeds? This was unsafe, and there’s no excuse for it.
yellowsapphire (@yellowsapphire)
30th June 2013, 21:48
Exactly. I hate to be cliché but a delamination like that can cause a fatal accident. Now, I am very much aware that all motorsport is dangerous, and fatal accidents can happen at any race.
This race could never be a ‘9/10’ for me, because a race in which a part of the equipment is malfunctioning to the point where it is dangerous is not a race I can place as “near to perfect”.
The fact that we didn’t have a big accident is a testament to all the drivers. Despite the safety issue, we had some decent racing, but we should not let that gloss over the fact that this race was incredibly unsafe and dangerous.
Veldaar (@veldaarf1)
1st July 2013, 12:15
+1
Alonso and Kimi were lucky. It is a very serious issue
zippyone (@zippyone)
1st July 2013, 13:08
I also gave a 1, first time ever, it was very scary and not enjoyable at all.
I did carry on watching after JEV’s explosion but felt the race should have been red flagged right then. Kimi could have been seriously injured or even killed, was it worth it to carry on? No.
Luckily there were no injuries. Spoilt what would have been a great race and would probably have got an 8/9 vote from me.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
30th June 2013, 21:29
I’ve gone for a 3: the last laps were very engaging and to be honest I care not a jot Vettel retired as it didn’t really affect the race but I’m just angry over these tyre failures – it’s completely ridiculous. I actually wanted them to stop the race after the first 20-odd laps out of remorse for Hamilton (a driver I don’t like) and all the others.
I am incredibly ****** that teams would block changes having seen this.
Bobby Balboa (@bobby-balboa)
30th June 2013, 22:59
@vettel1
So far you don’t like Hamilton and Ferrari and judging by your name you don’t mind when your favourite driver retires from the lead.
So why do you watch F1?
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
30th June 2013, 23:40
When @vettel1 says
he’s not really being honest.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
1st July 2013, 12:35
@juan-fanger no, I absolutely promise you I meant every word of that comment. I care more about the sport than my driver.
@bobby-balboa I watch F1 because I enjoy seeing the fastest track cars in the world with some of the best drivers in the world racing wheel-to-wheel. When tyres begin exploding the sporting integrity is ruined and I can no longer enjoy watching the race for fear of the same thing happening to any other driver (Vettel included).
That is why I don’t care that Vettel retired: the same thing could’ve happened to him and potentially it could have resulted in a big accident. That’s not enjoyable to watch.
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2013, 10:24
I think its perfectly fine to love the sport and see a great race, even when the winning is done by a driver you do not like as much. There’s no doubt the best part of the race happened despite (or maybe even because) Vettel dropping out, so its good to acknowledge that in your rating when you are a true fan of the sport. Its not the result, but the way it came about that we rate.
kcarrey (@kcarrey)
30th June 2013, 14:39
i like to thank the crowd for their cheers before the 2nd SC!
James Eden (@jameseden)
30th June 2013, 18:14
You’re welcome ;)
TdM (@tdm)
30th June 2013, 18:37
It was spontaneous. The crowd jus went crazy. I was there and I can tell you that from track side, that race was awesome. Just sick behind a porsche supercup motorhome on the way home now.
TdM (@tdm)
30th June 2013, 18:38
Lol stuck, not sick.stupid phone
Diego (@ironcito)
1st July 2013, 0:45
What’s with all the Vettel hating? Vettel was only 2-3 seconds ahead of Rosberg when he retired, so it’s not like he had a boring 30-second lead. We would have seen some exciting racing towards the end of the race, even if he had not retired. Another German inherited the lead and no Briton got on the podium, so it’s not a matter of nationalities, either. Furthermore, the comments I’ve seen aren’t generically aimed at whoever happened to be the race/championship leader at the time (whose retirement would make the championship race more interesting), they all seem to show hatred towards Vettel in particular.
Ginger (@ginger)
30th June 2013, 14:39
9! What a race, I know the tyre situation wasn’t ideal, well far from but made for an exciting race. Wow.
toddjamin (@toddjamin)
30th June 2013, 15:11
Same man, fight from WEB and ALO at the end was incredible. WEB pass on RAI was best of the season
Chris (@tophercheese21)
30th June 2013, 14:39
The laps after the final safety car was how the entire race SHOULD have been. Had the potential, but the tyres were just rubbish.
Chris (@tophercheese21)
30th June 2013, 14:44
Pros:
– Webber’s incredible drive at the end.
– Hamilton and Alonso fighting back
– The last 10 or so laps were absolutely terrific!
Cons:
– The Pirelli people need a serious kick up the backside, because that was a disgrace.
– 4 “punctures” (more like tyre failures), is just not good enough.
Pirelli MUST change the construction of them. It’s simply not good enough!
bananarama (@bananarama)
30th June 2013, 15:06
Considering many drivers had cuts in their tyres, how exactly is Pirelli to blame for that? In case the teams were right and something cut them between turn 3 and 5, I don’t think any tyre manufacturer could do much about it. If it turns out the tyres just blew up all by themselves then yes, that would be a real problem that needs to be addressed. These weren’t just the kind of delaminations we saw this season so far, these were old-school blowing up tyres by the looks of it. We’ll see.
@HoHum (@hohum)
30th June 2013, 15:25
Yes exactly, how could I have been so wrong, the tyres are great, I now think Bernies idea of sprinklers is pure genius, only instead of sprinkling water we will have them sprinkle carbonfibre shards, how good will that be.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
30th June 2013, 18:12
Lol, yeah and the shortcuts thing sounded great too. maybe create tracks with a “figure eight” configuration for extra tension.
Pete (@repete86)
30th June 2013, 16:19
Why weren’t they being cut there last year? The track hasn’t changed.
Eric (@)
30th June 2013, 17:39
@bananarama
Where were the tyre failures last year? Or the year before? Or the year before that?
Once is an incident, two is a coincidence, three times a pattern. It happened four times (almost five) so I doubt it’s because of the kerbs.
bananarama (@bananarama)
30th June 2013, 20:39
In 2004 Michelin had 4 tyre failures at Spa and said it was not the construction. It is not unique but I agree, structural problems with the tyres do have to be addressed.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
30th June 2013, 21:31
@bananarama we didn’t have exploding tyres last year or in many years previous, and to my knowledge we didn’t have any tyre failures akin to these and the kerbs haven’t been changed. It’s pretty ridiculous I think and these tyres simply must be changed now.
DC (@dujedcv)
30th June 2013, 15:39
After the 3rd puncture I was actually afraid that we were going to see Indy 05 again. Luckily, it turned out to be great, proper and dramatic race.
Guilherme (@guilherme)
30th June 2013, 15:47
@dujedcv It stopped being a proper race after Massa’s blowout and the last nail on the coffin was the ridiculous second safety car period.
I fear we’re edging ever closer to NASCAR-style entertainment…
Eric (@)
30th June 2013, 17:42
@guilherme
Exactly. I fear for the future of F1 if most fans only tune in when a race turns into a lottery.
I also still don’t understand that 2nd SC. Vettel’s car was nowhere near the racing line and even if someone would have had an incident he would have crashed into Vettel’s. How many times have we seen cars parked on the inside of the track without SC’s being deployed.
Patrick (@paeschli)
30th June 2013, 17:54
@baron-2 I agree with you. I think they sent the SC out because they were afraid of more tyre problems.
Mallu
30th June 2013, 14:45
Don’t think so! The only action that happened was between fresh tyres and old ones. It was always meant to be.
Kodongo (@kodongo)
30th June 2013, 14:46
Exactly. Some of the best racing has been in disabled DRS moments: opening laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix with VET-ROS-ALO and the post-safety car racing today. I don’t know why we need this stupid tool two times per lap at every grand prix; it makes no sense.
Chris (@tophercheese21)
30th June 2013, 14:49
Oh I had no problems with the DRS today.
They probably could have done away with one of them (take your pick), but I couldn’t give a stuff about DRS today.
The tyres robbed Lewis of a win.
Neiana (@neiana)
30th June 2013, 15:05
The tires robbed Lewis of a chance to win, not a win outright. Had Vettel’s car not failed and Lews’ tire not “puncture”, I think it would’ve been one hell of a race.
But all these high ratings for the RBR failing? I rate these ratings a 1.
Chris (@tophercheese21)
30th June 2013, 14:46
Gave the race a 6.
Would have been a 2 or so had the last few laps not been as brilliant as they were.
@HoHum (@hohum)
30th June 2013, 15:26
me too.
Tom Davidson (@wacamo)
30th June 2013, 22:12
+1 for that. The first part was ho-hum. Watching Webber hunt down Rosberg was terrific. The safety car caught Alonso in a real bad place- otherwise I think he might have had it.
sato113 (@sato113)
30th June 2013, 18:31
no way. the entire race would have been more strung out and uninteresting had the SC periods not happened.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
30th June 2013, 14:39
The last 10 laps or so completely overshadowed what was a TERRIBLE Grand Prix.
Pirelli’s failures cannot be overlooked. This is seriously worrying, and really really dangerous.
Not happy at all. 3 failures in no time, and then a last one in the end. All in fast straights, we’re lucky this isn’t Spa, and the walls are not that close… F1 should react INMEDIATELY.
David BR2
30th June 2013, 15:33
How long has it been now that some of the top drivers like Webber and Hamilton have been complaining that they can’t push these tyres? People have overlooked the complaints, enjoying the spectacle caused by the careful combination of rapid tyre degradation and DRS to ensure lots of overtaking. But today their fragility has shown the danger lurking behind this approach if Pirelli get it wrong. Lucky it was on one of the most forgiving circuits on the calendar.
An investigation is needed, but it seems revealing to me that Hamilton – a driver who puts tyres under more stress and uses the kerbs hard – was the first to experience the blow out, just when he was opening up an advantage as race leader. Precisely the kind of (fast) driving the current specifications prevent. And he was followed by Massa, who again was pushing hardest at the start of the race.
Dismal that drivers first have to nurse tyres to ensure they last, and now have to be careful they don’t explode.
svarun (@svarun)
30th June 2013, 15:44
Gave a 7.
Completely accept the above comments,apart from webber’s and alonso’s late race charge ,it was just tiring watching the tyres.
Zantkiller (@)
30th June 2013, 14:40
Most up and down race ever, it had everything.
Traverse (@)
30th June 2013, 14:40
R.I.P Pirelli
Chris (@tophercheese21)
30th June 2013, 14:50
+1
Excuse me :D (@square-route)
30th June 2013, 15:38
+4 … one for each tyres
svarun (@svarun)
30th June 2013, 15:45
Time for a new supplier in f1.
Is it possible for 2 suppliers of tyres in 2014?
Traverse (@)
30th June 2013, 17:22
@svarun
We all know what happened the last time there were two different tyre manufacturers! Best to keep it simple and stick to one.
There’s no doubt that action must be taken to ensure that tyre failures like these today are kept to a bare minimum, else Pirelli should be shown the door…That being said, one could argue that Pirelli have only done what was asked of them, after all, today’s race was made more “explosive” by the tyre blow-outs (even if it is an unacceptable occurrence).
Still this is the pinnacle of motorsport and seeing tyres disintegrate and the rubber fall away from the wheel like chicken meat falling off the bone (you have to try my patented, world famous fried shoryuken-chicken to get that experience, yummy!!) isn’t something that screams premium or prestige, qualities that F1 is famed for.
DC (@dujedcv)
30th June 2013, 16:01
I really wonder how is this all F1 thing affecting their road car tyre sales?
D (@f190)
30th June 2013, 16:35
I guess badly. An f1 fan may still buy them as they know the reasons and the brief Pirelli were asked to work to. The average person will see later on the news that Pirelli put drivers at risk and had 4 blow outs in one race which also cost a brit driver a home win.
Traverse (@)
30th June 2013, 16:37
You’re right, even though their F1 program has nothing to do with their road tyres, mud sticks and subconsciously people may just associate the Pirelli “brand” with the words puncture and failure. It might put some people off.
gregwtravels (@gregwtravels)
30th June 2013, 18:36
On one hand, in the future tyre suppliers may be put off providing tyres to F1 in the event they are concerned about bad publicity.
On the other, how many non-F1 fans would even know about the tyre woes? Just saying that you are the supplier for F1 might be good enough publicity as most people don’t follow the races, and would only think “Hey, that’s the top racing league in the world. I should get those tyres.”
^Mo^
30th June 2013, 20:44
@gregwtravels my guess is most people don’t even know what kind of tyres they have in the first place, let alone care about it. Personally I have no clue, and neither do I care to be honest.
Breno (@austus)
30th June 2013, 23:26
Dont most people just buy the cheapest tyre they can find?
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
30th June 2013, 18:09
@hellotraverse, you may be right this will mean the exit of Pirelli. The ironic thing is, I thought the performance levels of the tyres was spot on: it allowed the drivers to push and race each, while still awarding drivers to make two or three stops.
Traverse (@)
30th June 2013, 18:13
@adrianmorse
You’re so right! That’s what makes the failures so frustrating. Pirelli are so close to developing the perfect F1 tyre and thus experience for the drivers and fans alike, yet, some how they always find a way to balls it up.
Traverse (@)
30th June 2013, 18:14
*somehow
Dimitris 1395 (@dimitris-1395)
30th June 2013, 14:40
If there hadn’t been the tyre parody, it would have been a fantastic race. Especially the final laps were amazing! Great overtakes, phenomenal drives. But there were the tyres. It was a big joke. It was what we haven’t seen in Indy ’05. I feel awful that this race will be remembered for all the wrong reasons
@HoHum (@hohum)
30th June 2013, 15:30
Yes, well of course the last laps were great, no-one was managing their tyres or planning another pit-stop.
Sander (@sander)
30th June 2013, 16:45
If the hadn’t been for the ‘tyre parody’ as you say, there would be no fantastic race, as all the dramatic changes and sudden safety cars caused for incredible amusement and GREAT racing.
This was one of the best races I’ve seen in a long while
sato113 (@sato113)
30th June 2013, 18:32
+1.
some people just dont get it.
John H (@john-h)
30th June 2013, 21:47
-1
In the race I saw, the exciting final laps Dimitris refers to were due to a safety car caused by a car stopping on track, not tyres exploding randomly.
stefano (@alfa145)
30th June 2013, 23:02
good point
sw280 (@sw280)
30th June 2013, 14:41
I thought it was a stunning race. Pirelli nearly made it into a farce though. Well done to Nico, but Lewis and Mark were DotD.
nackavich (@nackavich)
30th June 2013, 15:11
Mark drove a SUPREME recovery, he looks so good around Silverstone. Ricciardo drove really well and it was unlucky he was on the wrong tyres at the end. I thought the Top 5 or so drove really, really well.
davey (@djdaveyp87)
30th June 2013, 14:41
5 out of 10. Good racing, but the tyre blowouts were a disgrace. I blame the teams though, not Pirelli. F1 shooting itself in the foot again. Pirelli have a solution and the teams won’t let it in. When is this sport going to stop being self governed? It’s holding it back.
Fosr Mortin (@fosrone)
30th June 2013, 14:41
1/10, horrible race with only final 7 laps of actual racing, cheating and unpunished mercedes get away with another win again, way too many punctures not letting anyone push.
D (@f190)
30th June 2013, 16:37
Smile
Mike Dee (@mike-dee)
30th June 2013, 14:42
There will need to be new tyres very soon!
Saints (@saints)
30th June 2013, 14:42
What a great race, definitely 10
Aditya (@adityafakhri)
30th June 2013, 14:42
HAM vs The Grumpy Cat was exciting, the cars were always so close. a lot of actions, overtaking, and dramas. but the stupid tyres and 2nd DRS ruined it. all in all, pros weigh equal with down. so I’m giving 5.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
30th June 2013, 14:43
Absolutely shambolic.
However, a stunning race. 9.
bdah3056
30th June 2013, 14:44
Daniel Ricciardo has reason to be **** off with his team. Their slow pit stops cost him at least 2 places and probably 3.
tasimana
30th June 2013, 21:46
Not bringing him in at the final safety car cost him a potential podium. Look where Hamilton finished. This is where team need to blame themselves and not the driver. It won’t have gone unnoticed by Red Bull how well he did. Qualified 6th too. Must keep it up though as JEV is also very good. Both deserve a bigger future than they’ll ultimately get. Get rid of Massa please.
Adrian Taylor (@a-taylor)
30th June 2013, 14:44
Gave it a 9, purely on the shock factor spectacle that was the tyres!
Not the ideal way to go racing I’m sure, but it did set the race up for some very interesting battles in the final laps. For once it’s not Vettel being in the right spot at the right time!!
bdah3056
30th June 2013, 14:45
Very exciting race: 8.
ka (@ka12)
30th June 2013, 14:45
7/10 should have been a great race without to many tyre failures :(
OmarR-Pepper (@)
30th June 2013, 14:47
if it wren’t for the creepy tyres, 8, but for that, just a 6
Dizzy
30th June 2013, 14:47
Tyres were a complete joke.
DRS was all too often overpowered.
3/10!
George (@george)
30th June 2013, 14:47
10/10 for me, unpredictable race with the drama of the tyres, brilliant wheel to wheel racing and an intense finish. First time I’ve been shouting at my TV screen in a while :D
Guilherme (@guilherme)
30th June 2013, 14:50
Let’s see…
5 starting rate
+1 for an exciting start
-2 for each tyre delamination
-2 for an safety car that shouldn’t have been needed (there’s no gate to pass a car through the pit-wall?!)
+10 for an exciting finish
Yup, 1, seems about right.
gdewilde (@gdewilde)
30th June 2013, 14:59
5+1(start) -2(Hamilton)-2(Massa)-2(Vergne)-2(Perez) -2(saftey car) +10(finish) = 6 ;-)
Am I wrong? :-D
Guilherme (@guilherme)
30th June 2013, 15:13
@gdewilde Oh my, completely forgot about my “5 starting rate”… Still, I guess people will get the point that I wasn’t pleased with this race at all! :P
BasCB (@bascb)
1st July 2013, 10:31
Just factor in the damaged tyres for Alonso, Rosberg and Vettel that did not blow up because they happened to do a pitstop soon enough and we are back at 0. I certainly get your point.
Resort2Spa (@resort2spa)
30th June 2013, 15:48
The tyre failures were more good than bad for the race as a spectacle.
I am reading a lot of comments saying that the last 10 laps were brilliant but all the tyre failures were bad. They were bad for the drivers involved but for the spectator they glued my eyes to the screen.
It is almost like these people fail to realise that the last 10 laps eventuated the way they did because of the tyre failures (and Vettel retiring of course).
You can’t say that “Vettel would have retired anyways and the last laps would have been the same”
No… the order and conditions of the cars/tyres were the way they were due to everything leading up to that point.
Butterfly effect guys, butterfly effect. A butterfly flapping it’s wings in Korea may cause a Tornado in Oklahoma.
Hamilton/Massa/Vergne losing a tyre caused a safety car which caused Vettel to cruise around in 1st/2nd gear for a few laps. You could argue that these laps in those gears caused stresses on the gear box that would not have happened had the tyres not failed. Vettels gearbox may not have given up if the race had happened another way.
My point is – Tyre failures, gear box failures, safety cars and orders to stay off the kerbs are a means to and ends.
The ends being a race.
In this case the race was super exciting. So I gave it a 9
Rigi (@rigi)
30th June 2013, 14:51
entertaining as it was, it shows how mercedes benefitted from their secret test… undeserved victory!
tyres have gone too far now, but let’s wait and see what caused the delaminations (kerb or bad tyres)
Val Whiteway (@)
30th June 2013, 15:51
Why are none of the commentators picking up on the fact that Mercedes have blasted ahead on tyre management after their secret testing? Seem so obvious to me. Congrats to Nico but no one is questioning about how much they have improved since their solo 1000km testing. Brawn says no advantage but that is now sounding like a mockery of common sense!
Pete (@repete86)
30th June 2013, 21:39
Considering that their tire was the first to blow and Rosberg was almost the second to go, it looks to me like they won here largely out of luck. The safety cars and their car position at the time of their deployments meant that their true tire wear was masked a bit. Had they been racing all of those laps, I think that they would have dropped back. Not as far as in Spain perhaps, but I don’t think that they would have won it.
David-A (@david-a)
30th June 2013, 14:52
The final 10 laps were great, the tyre failures were ****
Bleeps_and_Tweaks (@bleeps_and_tweaks)
30th June 2013, 14:52
The race itself was actually quite good, lots of overtaking and a great finish. But there can be no argument that Pirelli turned the British Grand Prix and F1 as a whole into a complete farce today. They have created tyres that are unable to cope with the loading of one of the finest race tracks on the calendar; they are not fit for purpose.
@HoHum (@hohum)
30th June 2013, 15:35
Wait till we get some HOT races.
bezza695 (@bezza695)
30th June 2013, 14:52
gave it only a 6 because sadly the delminations were pathetic 6 over one weekend, 1 in practice, 1 in GP2 and 4 during one GP but the end of the race was great so much action but one questions
Was Perez’s tyre a fresh tyre that had a puncture?
tmekt (@tmekt)
30th June 2013, 14:53
Gonna try to rate the race, not the tyres/kerbs/whatever
9/10 – The best race of the season by far, very dramatic and memorable, and most importantly the racing was phenomenal (the whole race, not only the last six laps)! As a Kimi fan the last part of the race hurt but that’s too bad
It depends on your view whether you think if Pirelli made it possible or if it would have been better if the tyres would have lasted for a longer time. The last six laps for one were all about differences between the compounds.
Bill (@billza71)
30th June 2013, 14:54
10 out of 10, didn’t watch race but followed text only and all I can say is totally nail biting stuff from beginning to end, well done to all driver superb race…. Now that’s what I call F1 racing at it’s best. Great fighting, clean passing even if DRS is used, action all the way too the last lap.
Macca1977
30th June 2013, 14:54
a 10 ??? you have to be kidding, most like a 4.
Cornflakes (@cornflakes)
30th June 2013, 14:55
9/10 – A fantastic race, enjoyed almost every minute of it. I took a point off for the tyre issues. Although it made it interesting and exciting, it’s not how excitement should be dealt
Fixy (@)
30th June 2013, 14:55
This is not how a Formula 1 Grand Prix should be. It was frightening at times. But to say it wasn’t exciting? It definitely was, unfortunately at the beginning the only question in my mind was who was going to suffer the next puncture.
I hoped that with all the mess and the chaos an underdog won, and Sutil was indeed in a podium position for most of the race.
For once, though, I was glad to see the drivers hit by misfortune work their way back up to the front, because it felt wrong when a third of the drivers had a blown tyre.
8/10
Drezone
30th June 2013, 14:56
8.
Tyres shocking but racing amongst chaos good with good result
Why does webber always have a problem off the start when he’s on the same row with vettel…hmmmm
Linda1
30th June 2013, 14:56
wonder what helped mercedes solve there tyre wear problems.
scuderia_fan85 (@scuderia_fan85)
30th June 2013, 14:56
Kimi im sure will be fuming at Lotus’ extremely stupid decision not to dive right into the pits for fresh rubber. from 2nd to 5th. I really hopes this makes him decide to switch teams.
Boullier says he will try and convince Kimi to stay, but with this kinda absurd reckless call not to pit their guy and it has cost him massive points to Vettel and Fernando
tasimana
30th June 2013, 15:18
Same for Ricciardo. Cost him badly, not to mention pitting a few laps later for the second stops that lost him another few places.
safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
30th June 2013, 15:19
I too am fuming over that decision. Raikkonen would have been out with Webber and I think 2nd was certain, at worst 3rd if he’d come in. It wasn’t a difficult call, but Lotus showed today their small team mentality with the conservative approach, making the same call as the midfield teams Toro Rosso and Force India. It is not a coincidence that the teams who made the brave call to pit are the top three teams in the constructors. Ok it could have backfired, but it could also have won them the race.
scuderia_fan85 (@scuderia_fan85)
30th June 2013, 16:50
“free pitstop”. ntn to lose, everything to gain. and I believe Kimi could of held off Webber for 2nd position with fresh rubber. Kimi has already given his word to RBR to sign with them, just gonna wait till his contract and season end to put pen to paper
BlackJack (@danieljaksa)
30th June 2013, 14:57
Too many tyre issues! Maybe more secret testing is needed
dragoll (@dragoll)
30th June 2013, 14:58
I voted #1. I can’t help but think that we were on the verge of seeing a driver fatality today. The race then became an indy styled race with a couple of safety car deployments, at least 4 tyres delaminating. This meant that the winner can’t say that he was the best out there, but he will be known as the lucky driver.
Alonso was so lucky today behind Sergio Perez, and Kimi was littered by debris from Jean Eric Vergne.
tmekt (@tmekt)
30th June 2013, 15:11
@dragoll
Is there any situation in particular you’re talking about?
Punctures have always happened, just because there were many of them today doesn’t mean they have suddenly become any more dangerous as separate events.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
30th June 2013, 15:38
@tmekt: Raikkonen behind Massa and Vettel behind Rosberg were mild but Raikkonen behind Vergne and Alonso behind Perez were downright scary scenes.
Raikkonen almost got hit in the head there by that huge chunk of rubber and if Perez would have lifted more suddenly there was no way Alonso wouldn’t have climbed his rear wing.
I don’t agree with people referring to a potential fatality here, but today was dangerous, there’s no doubt about that. And after what happened at Le Mans last week and during Blancpain today, it’s reasonable for people to be a bit more pessimistic in relation to motorsports for a while and I can understand that.
andae23 (@andae23)
30th June 2013, 16:25
@tony021r I was watching Le Mans last week and when the no 95 Aston Martin crashed it looked like just another accident. I actually had forgotten about it that evening, but when I came home at 11 o’clock at night it turned out that crashed had been fatal. What I’m trying to say is it takes just a little bit of bad luck to turn an ordinary accident into a fatal one.
andae23 (@andae23)
30th June 2013, 16:26
@tony031r rather
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
30th June 2013, 16:50
@andae23: I absolutely agree and under no circumstances what happened in today’s race was ok. I’ve already said it, it was far too dangerous even by extremely dangerous competitions standards.
But what happened with Simonsen and Mame is a different affair and it doesn’t really translate into the same kind of risk while running F1 cars. The materials are different, the reactions you get from the car are different, the reaction speeds are different, the tracks are different and the drivers are of a different breed.
I didn’t see Mame’s crash but Simonsen’s…that was everything that could have gone wrong, going wrong. Even though the crash didn’t look all that bad, it was. Crashing head-on in a GT car (especially at Tertre Rouge) is probably one of the worst case scenarios at Le Mans. And to be honest, Tracy Krohn was unbelievably lucky he hit the tyre wall with the back of his Ferrari, a couple of days earlier, otherwise that would have been a very serious incident as well.
So I can understand why people are scared this could happen in any competition now but the truth is none of the situations we saw at Silverstone today could have possibly led to a fatality.
However, that doesn’t make the whole issue less serious. Motorsport is dangerous by definition and it can all go wrong in a split second in ideal racing conditions, nevermind when one of your tyres blows out suddenly at racing speed.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
30th June 2013, 16:54
By this, I mean the exact situations Hamilton, Vergne, Massa and Perez found themselves in. We could have had other much worse scenarios happening…
andae23 (@andae23)
30th June 2013, 17:33
@tony031r Thanks for explaining.
dragoll (@dragoll)
30th June 2013, 22:39
@tmekt I talk about Jean Eric Vergne who was extremely lucky not to go off at Stowe at top speed. We saw 3 tyre delaminations on the straight and in the entry to Stowe. Just remember, it was at Stowe that M. Schumacher broke his leg, and its purely down to a speed factor at that point of the track.
I feel like everyone is just blaise about the situation, from reading the responses on here, which is nice, but the fact still remains the situation was dangerous above the normal levels of safety we’ve come to expect from Formula 1.
nmsi (@nmsi)
30th June 2013, 14:58
For the last 10 laps – 9. For ~6 tire issues – 1. Since safety comes first gave a solid 3.
Andre Costa
30th June 2013, 15:00
It’s simply incredible Pirelli’s irresponsability. How FIA (and I include Bernie’s guilty) can continue authorizing Pirelli making paper tires, letting Drivers, track controllers and even the public in risk all the time? It’s time to FOM review their concepts.
Robert Tang (@robertthespy)
30th June 2013, 15:00
10/10 for Pirelli making the race more interesting by making self-exploding tyres!
Troy Longstaff (@troylongstaff)
30th June 2013, 15:01
I was ready to give it a 3 because of Pirelli, but because of Sebastian Vettel, I gave it a 7. Thrilling finish, one more lap and Webber may have got past Rosberg, still a nail-biting last seven laps. The proverbial is definitely hitting the fan for Pirelli.
Karthikeyan (@ridiculous)
30th June 2013, 15:01
Voted 1 simply because I’m not a fan of demolition derby
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
30th June 2013, 15:01
I gave 1, because of all these tyre failures. It ruined whole race. Drivers were risking their safety and the order wouldve been very different without tyre failures.
Younger Hamii (@younger-hamii)
30th June 2013, 15:03
Can we not judge the race solely on the final 7-10 laps please? They were phenomenal so the way I’m going to rate it is via the renowned F1 Fanatic balance system.
5/10
– +1 For Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo and Webber’s drives
– +1 Vettel’s retirement bringing the championship some life.
– +1 The racing and driving in the first and final few laps of the race.
– +1 The vocal, passionate atmosphere the crowds formed
– -1 The tyre farce created by Pirelli. That is all to it.
Making it 8/10 overall personally.
Younger Hamii (@younger-hamii)
30th June 2013, 15:06
+1 Also for the drivers still pushing and racing despite being warned off the apexes and kerbs by their engineers (on that front, they thoroughly deserve praise) after the absurdity endured in the form of the tyre explosions. My balloons even started exploding also when I was blowing some up just to sedate myself.
Lin1876 (@lin1876)
30th June 2013, 15:04
It wasn’t enjoyable watching while fearing for the drivers’ safety. Whatever the reason, it’s simply not acceptable to have four high speed tyre failures in one races. Questions have to be asked and solutions have to be found.
However…
It was a very good race. Fantastic recoveries from Hamilton and Webber, a good win from Rosberg, canny from Alonso and unlucky for Raikkonen. In fact, the driving was genuinely excellent and the last few laps were thrilling. An 8. Would have been a 9 without the tyre farce.
Lee_H
30th June 2013, 15:06
pirelli need to be forced out of f1 now, there crappy tires are killing the sport.
this race gets 1/10 from me, i want to watch a race & not a series of tyre explosions & drs passes.
also this race proves mercedes benefited from there illegal test, just makes there ‘penalty’ an even bigger joke!
PhilEReid (@philereid)
30th June 2013, 15:06
This is going to probably be very split. For me 9/10 Was a good race to watch for all the good and some of the bad. It was incredibly interesting, even with the disappointment of seeing Hamilton drop, but, what a fantastic finish.
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
30th June 2013, 15:06
Best race of the season so far. Even before Vettel retired I found it thoroughly enjoyable.
Good racing all the way through, a great sting in the tail and a little bit of controversy to give Pirelli’s critics something to whine about for another fortnight.
9/10
@HoHum (@hohum)
30th June 2013, 15:43
Yes, why do they go on so, those Pirelli critics ?
liam (@)
30th June 2013, 15:07
7/10 all round nice drive from Mark and Massa…
Neiana (@neiana)
30th June 2013, 15:08
What a bunch of crock from all these high ratings. Terrible, DISGUSTING tire problems, RIDICULOUS DRS as bad as almost anywhere…
Oh! Vettel DNF?? 10 ! 10 ! 10 ! 10 !
The race is a 5 or a 6. Y’all are seriously compromised in the head-space.
PhilEReid (@philereid)
30th June 2013, 15:12
The tyres were bad, but I really, really enjoyed watching the race. Don’t assume that because Vettel went out that is the reason I voted and 9, I was enjoying the race before and after the event.
Guilherme (@guilherme)
30th June 2013, 15:17
@philereid Maybe you weren’t, but oh there are so many people giving high ratings because of Vettel’s retirement.
Neiana (@neiana)
30th June 2013, 22:09
@philereid as @guilherme says, maybe you weren’t…
but if you look at the comments there are oh so many people who specifically said “…because Vettel retired…”
PhilEReid (@philereid)
30th June 2013, 22:22
@guilherme @neiana I was specifically writing on behalf of me as it was said that ‘all’ of the high ratings are ‘crock.’ I was just not wanting to be labelled as one of all.
I agree that a lot of people vote just because Vettel retired, but, it did open up a fantastic ending to the race.
Neiana (@neiana)
1st July 2013, 0:06
@philereid fair enough. On both accounts.
Mads (@mads)
30th June 2013, 15:08
5.
The last 10 laps were amazing. But this tyre stuff is just a parody. We were lucky that it caused no serious accidents.
It has just gone from bad to worse with Pirelli. All because they aren’t allowed to push through their revised compounds. Hopefully this can give them the green light to do so, because this is becoming increasingly more dangerous.
jackal40 (@jackal40)
30th June 2013, 15:08
A 5 for me. There were moments of great driving, but all was overshadowed by tire failures. Sadly, we could have seen a much more competitive race had it not been for the tires failures!
If Pirelli doesn’t have better tires for the next race, I’ll find something else to do on the weekends.
Daniel Fidelis (@d-f1delis)
30th June 2013, 15:09
Pirelli = 0, Last laps = 10. So 5.
Manule
30th June 2013, 15:10
Was it a great show? Yes, definitely, with all the nail-biting suspense about who’s tyre is gonna blow out next. Was it a good racing? No way. So, 1/10 for the Pirelli farce, they should be investigated. Give me bullet-proof Bridgestones any day.
And Nico should have dedicated this win to the FIA International Tribunal that made it all possible.
TMF (@)
30th June 2013, 15:11
1/10 for me – the last laps were good racing but they alone can’t make up for what seemed more like russian roulette. Imagine the tire blowing up while 2 or 3 cars battle for position – that’s just unacceptable.
safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
30th June 2013, 15:12
2 – Farce, joke, ridiculous, all apply to the majority of the race. The tyre situation was disgraceful, one of the few times I’ve ever considered switching off a Grand Prix part way through. I winced when that debris hit Raikkonen’s helmet, him and Grosjean were very fortunate nothing more serious happened as a result. Added to the farce with spending probably 10 laps behind the safety car and it added up to a truly awful race; I cannot give it anything but a very low rating as I think only Germany 2010 has depressed me more when watching a Grand Prix. The last 7 laps reminded everyone of how great racing around Silverstone can be but cannot make up for what came before.
McBride (@mcbride)
30th June 2013, 15:12
I honestly can’t believe that anyone would give that race anything over a 5. I don’t care how exciting the last few laps were. An absolutely disgraceful race. Shame on the power$ that be for continuing such an unsafe race.
minnis (@minnis)
30th June 2013, 15:13
It was a 1 for me. Absolutely disgusting, Pirelli should get out of F1 before they end up seriously injuring someone. The last few laps were brilliant, and it would’ve been an 8 or 9 if Pirelli had brought some safe tyres.
Joanna Bessey (@bernie-ecclescake)
30th June 2013, 15:13
1/10 absolute rubbish.
Gabriel (@naylamp)
30th June 2013, 15:14
~10 laps of great racing – 8
~42 laps of tyre debacle – 2
weighted mean ~ 3
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
30th June 2013, 15:14
I’ve never had more mixed feeling about a GP.
First of all, we’ve had an amazing finish and probably the best last 7 laps this season, I can agree with that. However, it was all due to a timely safety car and it can be strongly related to some people nailing the strategy for the last stop (Alonso, Webber) and others making a mess out of it (Raikkonen). Yes, Rosberg, Webber and Alonso deserve all the credit for driving their hearts out and so do Massa and Hamilton, but let’s face it, it was still somewhat-artificial. It wasn’t sheer racing that brought us this ending, it was a just a decent finale determined by an alltogether chaotic race.
This makes up for 2 points out of the final rating in my book. And on top of that I’m going to give it another 2: 0.5 for the start (particulary Massa’s start), 0.5 for the sustained clinches between Di Resta and Hamilton, which were brilliant to watch, 0.5 for the recovery races we’ve seen all around (Webber, Massa, Hamilton) and 0.5 for the WCC outcome. So 4 overall.
Apart from what I wrote about right above, I can’t find many positives in this joke of a race in which we had no indication whatsoever about anyone’s real pace (again, but for all the different reasons), in which the tyres ruined way too many potential outcomes and which was downright dangerous even by Touring or NASCAR standards.
This wasn’t a brilliant movie alltogether. It was a mediocre comedy, but with the ending we all wanted to see. Just like 5 decent minutes out of a 2 hour long movie don’t make it a good one, 7 laps out of 52 don’t make this a good race.
Kim Philby (@philby)
30th June 2013, 15:15
The race itself I would give it an 8
From that 8 retract 4 points for each of the delaminations that gives us a mere 4…
Yet, I still gave it a 10, a Vettel retirement suffices for that.
Tomsk (@tomsk)
30th June 2013, 15:16
Good to see these cars being raced for once, but the last safety car went on too long, and looked like a false NASCAR move to create a close finish.
Not pleasant to see drivers (and fans?) being showered with bits of rubber and metal belts. Or fighting for control of their 3-wheeled cars. But nobody died, and spare a thought for the family of the Lamborghini GT racer who lost his life this morning.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
30th June 2013, 15:42
@tomsk: There was much more racing going on in Canada than it was here.
Breno (@austus)
30th June 2013, 15:16
It was a good race if you ignore the punctures. Brilliant driving after the last SC too.
caci99 (@)
30th June 2013, 15:17
It’s the first time I’ve been harsh, but today was not a race. Never been a fan ot these tires, since last year, but today was really too much. Rated the race a 3. In a day when we saw great drives and battles from many drivers, but to be vanished by the ridiculous situotian with tires. Such a shame.
tvm (@)
30th June 2013, 15:17
Nikki Lauda on RTL
Doesn’t want to hear the rubbish about kerbs, all tracks has kerbs, its rubbish.
Can hardly follow him, speaks fast and quite a bit ****** it would seem.
Colossal Squid (@colossal-squid)
30th June 2013, 15:18
9. A fantastic, dramatic race that was due to, and also almost paradoxically marred by the dangerous tyre issues throughout the Grand Prix. It was enthralling to watch but I can say honestly I hope such a race is never repeated, there are only so many catastrophic tyre failures that F1 can have before someone is injured or worse.
EstF1 (@estf1)
30th June 2013, 15:20
Rated 9, would’ve been 10 if Lotus hadn’t messe their tactics up again. Kimi must be going to Red Bull next year.
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
30th June 2013, 15:21
6. Great fighting but the failures were ludicrous.
Great drives from Hamilton, Webber, Massa. Lucky win for Rosberg, but he was there to take it, so good drive from him too.
Scary Terry (@hatebreeder)
30th June 2013, 15:22
5. Perfectly good race ruined by tyres.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
30th June 2013, 15:22
What a tragic GP. I though there was going to be a riot after Lewis got that puncture. I can’t understand why the race direction chose to release that last sc, I think it was pretty unfair but It helped the show a bit, even if that left was only 5 laps to the end of the race.
Punctures and sc blew the race for me just not a fan of “lucky racing” 5/10
The championship is on life support but at least it ain’t dead yet.
Yoshisune (@yobo01)
30th June 2013, 15:23
3.
The racing wasn’t actually bad, the last few laps were great. The second DRS zone was too much. I said last year that the DRS on Wellington straight was almost perfect, there was no need to put another zone.
I don’t think we can overlook the problem with the tyres. 5 punctures are not acceptable. It’s embarassing for the sport. Terrible, terrible day for Formula 1.
Ryan (@ryanisjones)
30th June 2013, 15:24
Would have given this race a 9. It had everything you could want really, and the overtakes were immense. However all the Pirelli drama and Vettel getting a DNF has forced me to reconsider. I gave it a 10.
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
30th June 2013, 15:24
Gave it a solid 9. Sure the tyre issues were farcical but had a solid finish in the last 8 laps. Alonso is the Driver of the weekend for me, but I think Webber could be contesting him too. Great race towards the end, good drama, overall a deserving 9. Shame about Kimi and Vettel though. They both drove bravely.
Rockie
30th June 2013, 21:47
What a joke Alonso was hopeless in the race and was lucky to have benefited from the SC driver of the weekend with Massa out performing him only a blow out for Massa spared Alonsos blushes this weekend
Deb Luhi (@debeluhi)
1st July 2013, 3:43
Agree, and the speed of that Ferrari in the straight line/DRS zones was not funny. Alonso didn’t have to work too hard to overtake.
Zedd (@zedd)
30th June 2013, 15:25
It was a outstanding race in terms of the actual racing. But the tires were a real letdown, Pirelli made it a disgrace to Formula One. I will have zero tolerance if this keeps happening in Germany, then F1 need to look after a new tire supplier. However if Pirelli can prove that this will not happen again, then maybe they still have a shot at F1.
Jonathan (@jonny705)
30th June 2013, 15:29
The last part was great, but it is very easy to give a rating based on how good the end was and totally forget the rest as if it doesn’t matter. Yes I am satisfied with the result with respect to how it opens up the standings a bit more. Yes the tyre issues were intriguing as we were sat wondering when the next one would happen. But it had a negative impact on the majority of the race. Correct me if I’m wrong but if it wasn’t for the safety car after the last puncture, the race may not have had such an exciting conclusion.
We’ve put up with the whole ‘look after your tyres’ stuff for a while now, but I’m not watching a race where drivers are told to avoid using the kerbs or pushing the limits of the circuit as far as they can. Some ignored the calls but there was too much caution throughout.
This isn’t really 100% Pirelli’s fault. They’ve come up with a potential solution and the teams are far too concerned about their championship position to think about the change’s impact on the actual sport. Why should they govern what happens anyway? Pirelli have suggested some alterations, the FIA should say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and that should be the end of it.
The end of the race was an easy 9-9.5/10 but the rest was too cautious for the race as a whole to warrant more than a 6.
andae23 (@andae23)
30th June 2013, 15:31
2/10
This is probably the best racing I’ve seen in a while. Overtakes into Vale, the loop and Copse were mega. Fair racing, clean fights, brave stuff all around.
However, I couldn’t enjoy any of that. I literally had to walk away from the telly a few times just to catch my breath again. The constant fear when the cars were going down Hangar straight came to a point it became unbearable.
Last week poor Allan Simonsen was killed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans after his car suddenly and unexpectedly veered into the barriers. Just this morning Andrea Mame was killed at Paul Ricard. This isn’t a joke, this sport kills people. Apart from the Pirellis being too weak, the FIA should have red flagged this at the time they released the safety car for the first time: if it wasn’t for Hamilton’s, Vergne’s or Perez’ cat-like reflexes, their cars could have hit the wall in the same way that Aston Martin hit the barrier at Tertre Rouge last week.
This is a disgrace. I came very close to switching off the TV. Driver safety should be taken seriously.
Antonio Nartea (@tony031r)
30th June 2013, 15:44
@andae23: Perhaps the most reasonable comment I’ve read so far.
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey)
30th June 2013, 17:01
COTD
BasCB (@bascb)
2nd July 2013, 11:10
Very good comment. I felt much the same @andae23.
I do intend to vote differently on the race though, let me explain why:
– Huge respect for all the guys out on track (that is both drivers and marshalls) to go on with this race after all what happened
– I see this race as a very important turning point in the sport by now. Combined with the Pirelli/Mercedes test+Tribunal and the lack of a Concorde agreement (not allowing Marussia in is surely against EU competition law) and Todt now taking charge of affairs (finally getting into action?) I see this as a good chance to move the sport on and make a new solid foundation for the coming years.
andae23 (@andae23)
2nd July 2013, 11:49
@bascb I can actually see that happening. The mess around the tyres has come to a point that even drivers are complaining this has gone too far – certainly next year the aim will be to have less degrading tyre. Unfortunately, spectators seemed to love the horror show that was the British GP, which is quite disturbing to be honest. But indeed, things are starting to look prosperous for the first time in quite a while.
The thing that made me give it a 2/10 was just the fear that I felt during the GP. During the ‘killer years’, say 1970-1975, driver fatalities were common, arguably the chance of a driver getting killed in a GP in those days were higher than they were during the 2013 British GP. But the difference is that in 1970, a driver put his faith in his mechanics that they had delivered him a good car that wouldn’t break down at high speed. Last Sunday it became apparent that the tyres were not safe – but they still continued, knowing it was Russian roulette, as MW accurately points out.
Of course, huge respect for the drivers and marshalls for just continuing with what they were supposed to do, but the FIA should have acted. It was agony to watch, which made me stop appreciating the racing at the end. Perhaps if I had recorded it and watched it back knowing no drivers were injured, it could have been quite entertaining. But anyway, that’s my reasoning.
icemangrins (@icemangrins)
30th June 2013, 15:32
This gotta be the best race of the season so far:
1. Mercedes are racing… such a great thing to see.
2. Lewis’s fightback in the final stages. He will be my driver of the race weekend for me.
3. Nail biting finish
Erzen (@)
30th June 2013, 15:34
A really ******* up race, gave it a 7 because of the tire failures, first time i’m ****** off at Pirelli actually. The last 7 laps were incredible though, after the safety car got back in all the drivers were on their limits, nice race overall but Pirelli now has more pressure than ever to change their tires if they want to stay in the sport.
DaveF1 (@davef1)
30th June 2013, 15:41
8/10 Wasn’t actually that bad of a race and was very exciting. However it was rather too tense at times when the blowouts were occurring.
baldgye (@baldgye)
30th June 2013, 15:41
Voted 2.
This isn’t what F1 is suppose to be about.
tmax (@tmax)
30th June 2013, 15:45
Good race . exploding tires added the drama. Otherwise it would have been a procession.
Oh wait conspiracy theory. Was this tire drama a total setup to improve the show and the ticket sales ;)
Just kidding guys…. It was pretty dangerous driving conditions out there. Safety should be No 1 priority
Excuse me :D (@square-route)
30th June 2013, 15:46
8/10 …… coz i had my dose of fun,great overtakes n all ……… however nt by any means an ideal race …….
.
Question — Had Alonso been hit by that scrap, would Pirelli have been criminally charged or something …… ????
@HoHum (@hohum)
30th June 2013, 15:53
In Italy,? probably yes.
tmax (@tmax)
30th June 2013, 16:17
but then Lotus and Ferrari stopped the introduction of New Tire Construction from Pirelli….. So…..
Eddie (@wackyracer)
30th June 2013, 15:46
Last laps prove that best racing comes when drivers can push how much they want, no need of crappy tyres to make it interesting
gdewilde (@gdewilde)
30th June 2013, 16:38
If it wasn’t for the drivers in between Hamilton,Alonso and Webber, there would not have been a single overtake in the last ten laps. They had fresh crappy tyres, the others had worn crappy tyres. Makes no difference…
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
30th June 2013, 15:46
It would have been a perfect 10 had it not been for the tyres …. 9 for me because of the fantastic last laps
Almirand Munga (@perlazeze)
30th June 2013, 15:48
It was a great race but I will vote it 1 just because of the Pirelli tires. I am very frustrated with these tires :(
Nick (@npf1)
30th June 2013, 15:50
I’m very conflicted.
I saw some great racing today, not just the last 7 laps. There was drama outside of the tires as well, Alonso’s release, the Lotus battle, Webber and Alonso fighting back.
At the same time, the tyre madness was concerning. Usually, I don’t worry about yellows, but at a track like Monaco I usually have a split-second of worry about my favourites. But today, after Massa’s tyre blew, I was worried for the safety of the drivers. I think the fatality claims are a little far-fetched, but I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with every yellow after Massa.
Still, it’s a rate the race, and I think the race was great. The Pirelli debate will rage on, but the only thing that needs to change is safety. DRS zones need to be shorter and people need to stop booing Vettel.
An 8, although I worry about the message that sends to Pirelli.
pH (@ph)
30th June 2013, 15:50
Gave it an 8. The exploding tires and racing at the end made me feel like it was the 80’s again.
Just wondering, the next time Pirelli comes up with the suggestion that tires should be changed to safer ones, how will the teams vote?
Ron (@rcorporon)
30th June 2013, 15:57
Popped tires and what seemed like unending safety cars ruined what could have been the most exciting grand prix of the year.
7/10 from me.
91jb12 (@91jb12)
30th June 2013, 15:58
If you’re a neutral, it had almost everything- even some unwanted bits with the tyres.
Last 10 laps were gripping.
8/10- despite obvious disappointment
Keith, you should have 2 polls? One for rate the race and one for Rate the race (lap 1-40)!!! Bet it’s 2 wildly different results.
Seb did everything right- had good fortune with Hamilton, then lost it all with bad luck himself… shame as I would’ve like him telling the Silverstone mob to go home!
Jonathan189 (@jonathan189)
30th June 2013, 16:55
I think there should be a ‘rate the lap’ feature so we can rate each lap individually as we watch the race.
Lauri (@f1lauri)
30th June 2013, 16:00
“8” from me. Sad to see the strategy error from Lotus. Otherwise would have been “9” from me. Potential of Ros+Kimi+Webber+Alonso last lap fighting. Great to see Webber doing well in the race (not leading from start to finish. When we leave aside the safety concerns it was a great race!
Do you still remember the time when F1 cars couldn’t overtake? Love this new era of F1 with Pirelli!!! Sad to see the tyre problems, hope they resolve it and we still have races like last 3-4 years!
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
30th June 2013, 16:04
I gave it a 5. We must remember that those last few laps happened because of drivers being out of position due to tyre delaminations, which IMHO, should never have happened.
Timothy Katz (@timothykatz)
30th June 2013, 16:05
There aren’t many races that I want to continue for just a few more laps, often the last ten or so are pretty boring. Not this one though, with a couple more laps I’m sure we would have had Webber in the lead and Hamilton into third.
As it was the race was very entertaining in the mid-field in particular. Pirelli significantly infulenced the outcome of the race in a very unsatisfactory and unfortunate way.
I’m also a bit critical of the ‘car recovery’ marshalls as well. When Vettel stopped pretty well in front of the pits we had the inevitable Safety Car and it seemed that those marshalls whose job it is to recovery the car were very slow off the mark. As I recall the Safety Car gathered the field and led them past Vettels RBR with no marshall activity there at all. That (second) safety car period lasted about two laps longer than it really needed to as a result.
Still an excellent race; most enjoyable and I scored it an 8.
Nathan Bellows (@nathanbellows)
30th June 2013, 16:08
Until the second safety car it was a 1, after that, straight up to 9. I don’t hate Vettel but it’s certainly exciting to see him out of the fight for once, and the safety car turned the last few laps into a desperate sprint for the likes of Raikkonen, Alonso, Hamilton and Webber.
I think it’s pretty clear after this weekend that the tyre issue is no longer a debate between what works best with any given car – it’s an issue of track safety. Surely Pirelli have got to do something as soon as they can now. The argument that drivers should be avoiding the kerbs is totally invalid in my opinion, the tyres need to be able to do their job safely. Five tyre failures over the course of a race weekend isn’t acceptable.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
30th June 2013, 16:10
I have no sympathy for the drivers who suffered from exploding tyres.
Firstly, it has been known that this was a potential problem since Sergio Perez suffered a blow-out in free practice. Pirelli investigated and found the problem originated from running over debris. And thanks to the contact st the start, the track was littered with debris.
Secondly, Pirelli strongly recommended that the teams make adjustments to counter the problem. It is evident that most teams ignored them for the sake of faster lap times. Red Bull once ignored Pirelli’s recommendations for maximum camber settings at Spa, and then found blistering on the tyres that had the potential to compromise their structure, even after Pirelli told them it would happen.
Finally – and most importantly – the kerbs are not and never were considered part of the circuit. They are a visual representation of the apex of the corner (which is increasingly important in the age of tarmac run-off areas), designed to help drivers position their car on the approach to the corner. They are also a tactile representation of the apex of the corner, designed with a different texture to the surface of the circuit to give drivers a feeling for where their car is positioned relative to the apex of the corner. But they are not part of the circuit itself. So if drivers are suffering tyre blow-outs because they abuse the kerbs and cut the surface of the tyre – especially after they have been told to avoid doing it – then they only have themselves to blame.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
30th June 2013, 16:14
@prisoner-monkeys Blaming the drivers for running over the kerbs is nonsense. They have been allowed to do so for years and even encouraged to by the progressive lowering and smoothing of the kerbs.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
30th June 2013, 23:47
They were specifically (and repeatedly) advised not to do it, and they did it anyway. They are not without blame.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
30th June 2013, 16:21
@prisoner-monkeys I suggest you read this.
Nathan Bellows (@nathanbellows)
30th June 2013, 16:24
Where have you ever seen any racing take place on any circuit (including Silverstone) when every single car has avoided the kerbs because they’re “not considered part of the circuit?” Even after all the race engineers warned the drivers of the risks of tyre failure they all ignored them!! And rightly so – no racing driver would risk losing lap time by avoiding kerbs against a competitor who was gaining time using kerbs perfectly legally…
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
30th June 2013, 23:48
If they knew if the risks and ignored them, then they have no right to complain when their tyres explode.
IrishF1 (@)
30th June 2013, 16:11
It was a very polarising race from my perspective. The first half was ridiculous and almost unwatchable hoping that there wouldn’t be another blowout. On the other hand the last dozen laps or so saw the best racing of the whole season so far. Overall I gave it a 5/10.
mixwell (@mixwell)
30th June 2013, 16:13
kinda surprised to see so many 9’s. yes the last few laps were epic and Mark should be DOTW. but really ? they should have red flagged the race when 3 delaminations occured.
man i hope Alo retires from next race because of tyre issues and then we can have some real changes.
A 1 from me.
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
30th June 2013, 16:32
@mixwell I don’t think Ferrari and Lotus are going to continue their opposition of the new compounds. They prefer having all their drivers at the finish line.
Rooney (@rojov123)
30th June 2013, 16:14
3 points for Vettel retiring from the race. 2 points for the awesome drives put in by the drivers to overcome the tyre failures. 3 points for the wheel to wheel racing between the drivers at the latter end of the gp. And, 2 points for Rosberg’s and Webbers effort to come back up the field. 9 points overall.
Glenn (@glennb)
30th June 2013, 16:24
I gave it a 9.
Enjoyed every minute of it to tell the truth. Hated seeing Webber duff the start again but was on the edge of my seat as he made his way towards the front and ultimately the podium. Nico drove strongly and was in the right place at the right time to capitalise on others misfortunes. He then held it together to win in style. I’m not a Hamilton fan but enjoyed his chase from last. The tyre thing was disappointing and seemed a bit of a lottery. It did however make for a thrilling race although unintentionally. Even Damon’s podium interview was above average for a podium interview.
Can’t believe I’m saying it but I reckon DOD was Lewis.
bull mello (@bullmello)
30th June 2013, 16:30
Even in this fairly safe era of Formula 1 the drivers put their life on the line every time they get in the car. It is a calculated risk based on many factors of which tires are normally one of the factors. Today we witnessed something beyond the usual accepted risk for tires and yet the race continued anyway. It is not without the realm of possibility that a death or serious injury could have taken place. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the race red flagged for safety reasons, but it continued and there were more as yet unexplained tire explosions. For a sport to have made such huge strides in safety over the years, this would seem to be unacceptable. Formula 1 as a sport and all the drivers were lucky today that nobody was killed or injured. Is that how we wish to proceed? Luck?
I thought the racing today was quite good, everything considered. Many good stories with drivers coming back after adversity. Hamilton or Vettel may have won without their respective issues. I’m rating this race a 5 only because F1 escaped without hurting anyone. I would rate it a zero, but the drivers who continued to compete under these conditions deserve recognition for doing their job. Now, let Pirelli, the teams, the FIA and Formula 1 do their job and fix this problem before somebody does get hurt. Injury and death do not appeal to real racing fans. There is already too much of that in everyday life. F1 should be fun.
(stepping off the soapbox now)
Jonathan189 (@jonathan189)
30th June 2013, 16:59
That’s basically how it worked from 1950 to 1994. Of course, we don’t want to go back to that.
bull mello (@bullmello)
30th June 2013, 18:25
So true.
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
30th June 2013, 16:30
A 9 for me but I’m confilicted about giving it because of the tyres flying off. We really need new ones.
Abuelo Paul (@abuello-paul)
30th June 2013, 16:32
This race would have been quite exciting in its own right with several drivers having to recoup placings. Webber was doing well, Di Resta moving nicely up the listings and tyre stops, strategies and fuel loads would have made a great race. The tyre situation during the early stages almost ruined the British GP. No doubt. Top drivers suffering sudden blowouts, safety cars slowing down the pack and causing bunching. All put the drivers on edge, and messages from the wall didn’t help.
I may be wrong on this next point, please feel free to correct politely.
With Goodyear when a tyre picked up a puncture, or started to de laminate, the tyre just deflated then began to shred during the slow in lap. The only time I remember seeing one actually explode was Mansell in Australia, costing him the world championship that year. I think Pirelli have a serious problem with the bonding compound. If a tyre shreds in seconds when it gets a small cut or nick it is potentially lethal.
Jason (@jason12)
30th June 2013, 16:40
Another DNF from Vettel would be great, as the Merc resolves it’s race pace.
F1fanNL (@)
30th June 2013, 16:42
@jason12
Yeah, that’s the only way the others can even have a chance of winning the title. That says it all really.
F1fanNL (@)
30th June 2013, 16:41
It was dissappointing to see the British ‘fans’ reduce themselves to soccer fans in terms of sportsmanship. It seems the only thing these ‘fans’ are capable of now is cheering when a competitor fails.
It was terrible to see 4 tyres blow up on different parts of the track
It was typical to see Vettel lose yet another victory through no fault of his own with Alonso taking full advantage of it. I was rather surprised though in how Alonso admitted he was extremely lucky today. None of his usual “I drove 120%” bullcrap.
As for the last and so called ‘redeeming’ part of the race, I don’t enjoy seeing guys on completely fresh tyres overtaking others on old tyres… Those are simple drive-by’s. I most definitely won’t call that amazing driving. Webber and Alonso wouldn’t have been close to the podium without the 2 SC’s. But if that’s what the rest of the so called fans want then who am I to judge…
A well deserved 1 for this ridiculous lotery.
91jb12 (@91jb12)
30th June 2013, 18:11
I’m biased of course but it was disappointing that fans in the UK are so keen to cheers when a foreigner retires rather than cheers for their guys getting good results… but Seb is champion because unlike us, he just ignores it and wins the next one- it’s probably the biggest compliment- they boo him because they know he’s the best and when he’s out it gives everyone else a chance
Deb Luhi (@debeluhi)
1st July 2013, 3:48
+1
Howard (@howard)
30th June 2013, 16:44
Pretty standard race for the most part 5/10,
The last 10 laps and SC was 8/10.
Eric (@)
30th June 2013, 16:57
It’s a shame most here can only enjoy f1 if it’s turned into a lottery.
I actually enjoyed it quite a lot before Vettel retired. Not because Vettel was winning (because Rosberg was just 2 seconds behind) but because Sutil was in a good spot. Ricciardo was having a tremendous race and the fighting was even and fair. Then Vettel dropped away and caused a SC, some responded and some didn’t and the last 7 laps were with a couple of cars in an entirely different league as opposed to the rest.
8 for the first part of the race, 1 for the last part of the race. 4.5 average. -1 for the tyres = 3.5 so 4 for me.
Ryan (@ryanisjones)
30th June 2013, 23:04
It had turned into a lottery from the point Lewis got a de-lamination on lap 8 (the unfair reason Vettel was winning in the first place). Vettel retired on lap 42 and his retirement had nothing to do with the tyres. Thus if you enjoyed the race up to Vettel’s retirement, it meant you enjoyed the race whilst it was a “lottery” and stopped enjoying it when Vettel wasn’t winning. It’s cool to be a Vettel supporter, but a 1 for the last part of the race? Are you joking? Alonso and Webber’s charge plus Hamilton vs Di Resta? That is some extreme Vettel bias you got going on there.
Deb Luhi (@debeluhi)
1st July 2013, 4:11
How was Webber and Alonso charge interesting, apart of seeing if they can catch Rosberg. There was not contest from the cars they were passing.
Bendanarama (@bendana)
30th June 2013, 17:02
10/10. fantastic racing right through, wheel to wheel action and added drama from the tyres. Brilliant stuff
obviously
30th June 2013, 17:03
I think people who are just thoughtlessly shouting that tires must be changed ASAP don’t actually realize that what we saw today was in fact a result of changing tires without properly testing them first. If Pirelli had 3 day test with all 12 teams in the warm temperatures, they would have discovered this thing in the test, after running pretty much just couple of dozen of laps. And if this kind of thing wouldn’t appear in testing, that would mean that teams are intentionally going over the border with the way they are setting up their tires for quali and race.
J van Coppenhagen (@jacquesvc)
30th June 2013, 17:15
2013 season is becoming a mess…tyres…politics…
I’m a fan since 1974 and this year is one of the worst seasons…
Kostas K. (@charlie2alpha)
30th June 2013, 17:25
4 dangerous tyre failures, all because of the stupidity of certain teams and people. That was NOT funny. 5, and that’s a lot.
daniyyel (@oji)
30th June 2013, 17:28
F1 in its current form is a disgrace. It’s not about “the show” anymore, it’s a bout safety. Tyres blowing at over 250km/h it’s just wrong and dangerous for the one driving the car and for the ones behind him.
marcus (@wombat1m)
30th June 2013, 17:35
When four cars tyres exploding makes a race exciting there is a problem – as in that was most exciting element and that should have got it red-flagged as it was random, stupidly dangerous and nothing do with racing. I gave it a six because there was some good racing but it was too overshadowed by the exploding tyres which I guess are “exciting” from one sense are not why I watch F1, if I needed that sort of “excitement” I’d watch people smashing into each other on ovals in NASCAR for no reason……
Lucas Wilson (@full-throttle-f1)
30th June 2013, 17:42
Thought it was funny that the British fans cheered when Vettel broke down.
Great win Rosberg, looks like Mercedes have sorted out their tyre troubles and could challenge for the championship. Great drives by Webber (pretty tense last few laps), Hamilton and Alonso, oh and Riccardo.
If I were Paul Hembrey during that GP I would have been looking for the back exit.
Jon Sandor (@jonsan)
30th June 2013, 17:52
British sportsmanship – a contradiction in terms.
Patrick (@paeschli)
30th June 2013, 18:38
“Thought it was funny that the British fans cheered when Vettel broke down.”
I don’t understand why it is funny … Rather depressing and disappointing.
James (@jamesf1)
30th June 2013, 18:52
The same way the Spanish fans boo Hamilton, and some of the British boo Alonso? The British are more sympathetic to Webber. A shame he didn’t win today.
yellowsapphire (@yellowsapphire)
30th June 2013, 17:47
I’m going to have to give it a ‘4’, not because I disliked the result, or because my favourite driver retired… but because I cannot justify rating any race that had such safety concerns highly.
Sure, we had some good racing. The last few laps were amazing, but I can’t let that override the immense safety concerns re the tyres. We could have had a nasty accident today, thankfully we didn’t, but I don’t see that as a reason to rate the race highly.
As a fan I don’t want to spend most of the race concerned about the drivers’ safety, and that is why I cannot give it anything higher than a ‘4’, regardless of the last few laps.
James (@jamesf1)
30th June 2013, 17:49
Despite the issues with the tyres, the race today featured some of the best racing all season. The racing in-between the safety car intervals was pretty intense, especially at the end with Mark Webber “It’s gonna happen”. I’m sure almost every F1 fan wanted to see Mark Webber win today, I personally did.
I also rated the race highly because of the quick and impressive reactions we saw in response to the tyre blowouts, especially to Kimi and Fernando for keeping level heads and focused on the race, despite major incidents unfolding in front of them.
Finally, I think it’s also worth applauding the marshals today who worked extremely hard clearing the debris and keeping the race safe for the drivers, spectators and their colleagues too.
Jon Sandor (@jonsan)
30th June 2013, 17:50
Given the way people are rating this race, I predict that Pirelli will be tasked by the FIA with making tyes which explode more often from now on.
Patrick (@paeschli)
30th June 2013, 18:39
+1
CeeVee (@)
30th June 2013, 17:56
Started with 5 points
-4 for the exploding tyres
+1 for Vettel retiring
+3 for the overtaking
So I’m ledt with 5 points, but (and a great big but this one) when do the exploding tyres become a safety issue?
We could easily be sitting here this evening mourning a race driver due to tyre failure.
Are we going to see the field pull into the pits after the warm-up lap because the teams decide that it is too dangerous to race?
For what is supposed to be the pinnacle of motoring technology the situation has became silly and Pirelli are rapidly becoming a laughing stock.
Adriaantje (@sutil2013)
30th June 2013, 17:57
This is not racing as it should be. DRS and inferior exploding tyres are not what I am looking for in grand prix racing. If F1 continues like this, I wont be following it for much longer.
jim (@jimvettel)
30th June 2013, 18:17
Unfortunate the best driver on the grid had a gearbox issue. Handed it on a plate to the other drivers. As regards the tyres, Next thing you will see is f1 cars with a spare tyres on the back with a toolbox. F1 is one step away from turning into the WRC or Dakar rally. Perhaps the cars should have tracks just like a tank.
Tariq Patel (@mdtariqp)
30th June 2013, 19:01
I gave it a 9 for the sheer excitement it produced. I know the tyres exploding was a very dangerous thing for the drivers and at one point I thought the race would be red flagged or even abandoned.
However nothing can take away from the fact that there were plenty of over taking moves (some of them sheer brilliant) and the great recovery drives by Hamilton, Massa, Webber, Di Riesta.
DaveD (@daved)
30th June 2013, 19:02
I’d give the DRIVERS a 10 for this race, and Pirelli a giant *ZERO* for it. So an average of ‘5’.
Wait, is that why Pirelli has their “P Zero” tires? LOL
David not Coulthard (@)
30th June 2013, 19:10
6/10. Yes, delaminations, I suppose, for obvious reasons.
I loved the closing stages, though, I mean anything after the last safety car, and , being a Vettel fan, not including Vetttel’s retirement.
I think the race was a combination between last year’s Valencia and Marina Bay Grands Prix. Lewis gave his lead to Vettel by falling from the lead (albeit not retiring this time around), and Vettel then retired. The winner, though, was not Alonso, it was a Tyrrell-driving Rosberg.
As a small note, The end of the race was similar to when Lewis’ tyres failed in that a Tyrrell was in 1st place, with a Stewart 2nd.
But still…..tyres.
Steven Smith (@ragwort)
30th June 2013, 19:11
After attending my thirtieth British GP. I’ve given this one a nine. It probably ranks amongst the top five of those races.
The race was made more interesting by the whole tyre scenario, by the Safety Car interventions, Vettels retirement, and the two hard charging drives of Hamilton and Webber. Plus credit to Sutil for a decent drive for 3/4 of the race. Much of which saw himbeing tailed by two former Chapions in Alonso and the Ice Man.
Tiffoc (@tiffoc)
30th June 2013, 19:19
Voted 9 but… A BIG BUT, the Tyres must be sorted out… NOW!!!
F1Sidewinda (@f1sidewinda)
30th June 2013, 19:24
I can’t call what I watched this afternoon, a race. I’m sorry, as exciting and as interesting as it all was, It was too tesnse for me, knowing the danger round every corner. The only fatal footage I have ever seen of a sports man/woman is Senna’s crash, as it was in the film, I hope to never see a live fatal accident. Today was too close to one if you ask me. I canot blame the Kerbs as they were there last year and as far as i can tell, have not changed. Thank you pirelli for ruining what was set to be a titanic British Gran Prix. It gets a 1 from me.
Latvian (@latvian)
30th June 2013, 19:33
rate the race? this wan no race. this was a contest not to blow your tires up.
I give 1 point for this. pathetic British GP
Latvian (@latvian)
30th June 2013, 19:34
p.s. and I will never buy Pirelli tires for my car.
KeeleyObsessed (@keeleyobsessed)
30th June 2013, 19:38
It’s very easy for kneejerk reactions to races like this. So I had a proper think through before I voted this race a 7.
Good moments included Hamilton on pole for his home GP, close racing throughout the race, and a finish that meshed together great defensive driving and overtakes both DRS and non-DRS.
Bad moments included the inevitability of bad press following Massa’s tyre issue (1 car people can tend to pass off, 2 or more like today and it gets tricky), the crowd’s incredibly loud cheer when Vettel broke down (I’m not a fan of any driver inparticular, but to cheer at another person’s misfortune seems a bit harsh) and the potential problems that F1 will face now with tyres. As both Hamilton and Button have said, the evidence is staring them in the face. I just hope the teams (And Pirelli and the FIA) can find a solution which benefits all parties…
US_Peter (@us_peter)
30th June 2013, 19:45
Another tainted win for the cheaters, with confirmation that their illegal test clearly solved their tire woes. On top of that the continued tire explosions, poor sportsmanship of the fans in the stands chearing Vettel’s retirement. The only bright spot was Webber recovering to take 2nd after one of his worst starts ever. I give it a 3.
jankyb46
30th June 2013, 19:48
Why all those 9 and 10s ? I’m 100% sure that those who gave the race more than 6 started watching F1 two or three years ago, no way this race was good by any means. The tyres disintegrating dangerously, deserving leaders retired (Vettel) or got issues with tyres (Lewis), SCs were the only source of entertainment. It is a sad statement of the actual status of f1. Even the Merc testgate repercusions have brought a sensation of discomfort when you watch the final result, knowing those two Mercedes shouldn’t be there if they have followed the other teams ethic (RBR or Ferrari are not saints but at least they don’t break the rules so blatantly and/or can’t get away like that when caught). Not sure if this is the worst place F1 have been since the 90s, but it is up there with the 2005 USA Michelin fiasco (specially now with the upgrades Mercedes unfairly got) or “Stepneygate” , I mean everything is so artificial now that is almost impossible to recognize the so called pinnacle of motorsport anymore. At this pace of stupidity and for the rates people are giving to this race, we should expect Bernie’s sprinklers system making its way through the regulations in future years and F1 new lottery system of “guess who got the explosive tire this race”.
Nick (@npf1)
30th June 2013, 22:02
Next to the constant insulting of Vettel, what’s the deal with the constant insulting of the people who enjoy a race by those who didn’t enjoy it?
Roadsport (@mphipps)
30th June 2013, 22:14
You are 100% wrong then.
Kribana (@krichelle)
30th June 2013, 20:25
9/10, UNBELIVABLE sprint at the end by Alonso, Rosberg, Hamilton, Webber. The delamination on everybody made me go nervous if it was going to happen on other cars, you never know. Remember Massa’s incident in 2009 where part of Barrichello’s car came off and hit him??? Who knows I don’t want to be behind a car at 190mph and then rubber comes right in my face. What if I am blinded by that??? Kimi’s “near accident” was nearly as his fuel in Brazil 2009, where he got hit with fuel in his eyes with the visor open.
Overall, I loved how the top 4 did sprint laps at the end… And the battle between Di Resta and Lewis
Guelph (@guelph)
30th June 2013, 20:53
I gave it a 10, for one main reason: unpredictability.
Imagine if you will, that the tires were indestructable and everyone was able to make it on one stop. Everyone would have strung out throughout the race and the only thing of any interest would have been Vettel’s gearbox going out.
But with the drivers puncturing their tires on the curbs, there was no point in the race where any position was safe.
It was a throwback to the races of the 80’s and 90’s when cars weren’t nearly as reliable as now, and any car had the potential to break at any time.
Most of the field managed to not damage their tires, so I wouldn’t be so quick to blame Pirelli here. We all know the teams are already going to the edge on their own, and this time some of them went too far over the edge.
Alfred (@afya)
30th June 2013, 21:09
4.
This is a mess. Not a race.
Although the battle towards the end is good, I can’t rate this any higher than 5. And the fans’ reaction to Vettel’s retirement makes it -1.
Jarv F150 (@jarvf150)
30th June 2013, 21:11
Very very exciting – 10!
Though it probably should have been red flaged for obvious reasons.
Jason (@jason12)
30th June 2013, 21:29
Massa’s tyre blew up!
I wonder what’s Ferrari’s position on improving the tyres now.
Hyoko
30th June 2013, 21:53
Nobody commenting on Lotus’s “team orders?”. Yep, I got the sarcasm in the radio message to Grossjean: “Kimi is faster than you”, but still it sounded like a TO to me.
Nick (@npf1)
30th June 2013, 22:03
I think everyone had different worries before and after that message and let’s face it; Grosjean isn’t F1’s most popular driver, while Kimi is probably top 5 material as far as favorites go.
Slr (@slr)
30th June 2013, 22:04
Nobody cares about team orders when it’s not for the lead.
Hyoko
30th June 2013, 22:23
Or when the team color is not red
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
30th June 2013, 22:37
I’m amazed anyone is trying to make that case after Malaysia.
Hyoko
30th June 2013, 23:28
At season’s end we’ll see if the F1F mugs mention team orders
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
1st July 2013, 8:30
You mean these? They’re still available if you want one.
mi_chiamo_gino (@michiamogino)
30th June 2013, 22:07
I don’t think the race would be so good without (tyres + gearbox)..
but.. a lot of overtake + thrilling finale: 8
metalman71589 (@metalman71589)
30th June 2013, 22:15
Vettel didn’t finish? 10.
Josie Maunders (@jbmaunders)
30th June 2013, 22:22
In all honesty I have never been so ashamed to be British. Today at Silverstone, the amount of boos aimed at Vettel for inheriting a lead through no fault of his own were awful, and this was not the first time this weekend it happened. Whenever he was just shown on the screens the crowd started to act like ignorant children. The amount of cheers when his gearbox failed almost made me want to leave. I understand the British public may not like Vettel, but it is incredibly unsporting & immature to boo a driver. I’m just glad Vettel is grown up enough, unlike the crowd, to be able to laugh at himself: asking the crowd to boo for him at the after race show so he could video it on his phone.
After today I am seriously put off ever going back to Silverstone; I’d rather go anywhere else. Shame as I always thought of it as a great British day to take pride in.
Jon Sandor (@jonsan)
30th June 2013, 23:13
Yeah, the low quality of F1 fans (if that’s what they deserve to be called – I have my doubts on that score) is one of the biggest shortcomings to this sport.
Nick (@npf1)
30th June 2013, 23:47
There are Facebook pages that were celebrating Vettel’s DNF as if it was a Mars landing and people commenting on those posts with statements regarding Vettel’s health I’m not going to repeat here.
I’ve said before that Vettel inherited the hatred people had for Schumacher; but back then not as many people managed to make fools out of themselves in front of the entire world..
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
30th June 2013, 22:29
Five blown tyres, Lewis robbed of a win, ridiculous safety car rule re the back markers meant Webber ran out time to chase down Webber, I found it way too frustrating….2
Peter (@malaclypse)
30th June 2013, 22:44
Following the success of movies like “Watch for These Tyres”, “Save Fuel” and “Don’t Use KERS”, now comes the critically acclaimed masterpiece “Don’t Use Curbs”, written and directed by Bernard C. Ecclestone.
— My opinion: The ending was ok, but in great parts it reminded me of “Man of Steel”, with all the stuff blowing up. At least CGI explosions looked decent. I gave it a 6 on IMDb.
Jason (@jason12)
1st July 2013, 8:22
:D
Anything to increase the entertainment factor…..
Jay (@j-rva)
30th June 2013, 23:07
Had to give it a 6. A lot of great racing, especially at the end. Loved watching Massa and Hamilton’s recovery drives, and Webber running down Rosberg; I did not enjoy the exploding tires.
Ron (@rcorporon)
30th June 2013, 23:11
Also, nice to see that the “class” shown by my fellow Canadian fans carried over across the Atlantic (and to many members here) in the booing of Vettel / cheering his DNF.
I personally cannot stand Lewis Hamilton but was far from cheering as his tire blew and his chances at winning the race blew up with it. I like seeing all drivers, even those who do not rank very high up on my list, perform to the best of their ability and finish races.
I’d hoped that F1 fans were a bit more classy than their NASCAR counterparts.
Jason (@jason12)
1st July 2013, 8:26
@rcorporon
And you’ve conveniently never commented on Lewis being booed in Spain in the past.
Patrick (@paeschli)
1st July 2013, 9:19
Lewis is only booed in Spain, Vettel is booed on every circuit. Poor guy :/
Ron (@rcorporon)
1st July 2013, 12:10
I don’t condone the booing of any driver, anywhere.
Colm (@colm)
1st July 2013, 0:42
Great race and all caused by ****** tyres. A lot of sublime performances today too!
I thought Williams were going to have a special livery for their 600th gp too but I didnt see it??
Njack (@njack)
1st July 2013, 1:04
7/10 till the second safety car, 9/10 after, 8/10 overall.
Hopefully some of the “experts” at FIA watch the last 7 laps repeatedly so they can understand why racing is better than tyre conservation runs.
Mariano (@mariano)
1st July 2013, 1:19
There have been so many good performances in this race that it will be very difficult to vote for just one driver of the weekend!
djbasumatari (@djbasumatari)
1st July 2013, 2:28
doesn’t make sense to be rating a race which was high on excitement due to the wrong reasons. tyres going off, putting drivers to such extreme risks, is more like a gladiatorial contest. they should have red flagged the race
UTBowler0407 (@utbowler0407)
1st July 2013, 3:56
I really struggled with my rating on this one. Up until the last ~10 laps, the race was a 1 or 2/10. The race was an absolute farce. As much as I’m sure people will say “quit whining, you asked Pirelli to build tires with more deg”, it’s ludicrous to think that asking for tires that don’t repeatedly puncture spontaneously is too much. The racing after the last SC, however, was abso-bloody-lutely brilliant. In the end, the physicist in me won out and I decided to do a weighted average; it came out to around 3.5, which I rounded to 4/10 out of generosity.
This is really the first race where I have no clue what to feel. I’m angry that Pirelli can’t seem to get the compounds right, but the finish was so spectacular, though…I’ll need some time to stew over this one.
Travis (@mcmerctn)
1st July 2013, 6:17
Tires were terrible, no doubt. It wasn’t as bad as say, the NASCAR Cup race at Indy in ’08 (they needed cautions every ~10 laps or so for fear of right side blowouts), but the tires shouldn’t blow out like that unless someone had a puncture or something like that. The race until Vettel’s gearbox quit wasn’t great, and quite scary considering the tire situation. After that yellow, the racing got really good. Good amount of overtaking, even without DRS (Webber and Raikkonen in particular) after that yellow, and most guys had no issues with tire conservation in that stint. DRS was still a bit too effective at times (what I mean by that is that DRS exists), but it didn’t usually hand the pass on a silver platter the way it did in other races. I’d say a 8/10, would’ve been much higher without all those blowouts though.
yuya (@john-locke)
1st July 2013, 7:59
Kimi is faster than you
yuya (@john-locke)
1st July 2013, 8:00
Romain , Kimi is faster than you
Girts (@girts)
1st July 2013, 8:05
9/10.
For sure, the tyre explosions were dangerous and the issue needs to be addressed immediately, even if Silverstone is a circuit that’s particularly demanding for ‘the black gold’ and the problems are less likely to repeat themselves at Nurburgring.
I don’t think that I need something dangerous to be able to enjoy a race. But I would lie if I said that all the unpredictable events during the race, which made Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg and perhaps also Webber look like the potential winners at different stages, were not exciting. There were also many great comebacks through the field and nice battles, such as the one between Hamilton and di Resta.
Jonathon (@gambisk)
1st July 2013, 9:35
Am I alone in thinking that what F1 should do is make every race a 12 lap sprint? Because that was some of the best racing that I have watched all year.
After the final safty car the tyres where fresh allowing the drivers to wring everything out of them without worrying about the derogation.
Everyone had lots of fuel so they could push hard all of the time.
The pack was very tight making for great battles all the way round the track.
DRS was disabled on the fist couple of laps letting Alonso and Webber make some fantastic overtakes.
Vettles car gave up on him….. (only kidding, but it has closed the championship up a bit which is always good)
Please FIA make every race like the last 10 laps of this one.
f12007v (@f1fan-2000)
1st July 2013, 10:32
It was a great race, but it was really very dangerous. If VET was closer to Hamilton, then he would have crashed into him at almost 300kph. After that, maybe more cars would crash head on into them as HAM was in the lead at that point. Great to see Vetel retire, and ROS winning the race. The final ten laps was just so awesome!
Joao (@johnmilk)
1st July 2013, 12:01
we had to wait until the 8th race of the season plus 40 laps for the first proper piece of racing, and that last laps are still in my mind, and that is how I’m going to remember the British Grand Prix, therefore 8 out of 10 (and I’m a Vettel and Kimi fan).
Even in this controversial times in F1, the nation that loves it the most never fails to deliver a good show
Chema Carrasco (@chemakal)
1st July 2013, 12:24
We saw some racing yesterday. Loved it! 9 points
par
1st July 2013, 13:24
It was like watching CARs 2 movie…….
In that, engine explodes, here Tires…….
William (@william)
1st July 2013, 13:28
I was getting furious at the tyre punctures but I agree with Charlie Whiting that it should of been halted immediately. I think Pirelli is lying here as how can you have 4 punctures or even 3 in about 5 laps. Pirelli should quit now and let Michelin take charge. If there is no tyre is change I believe that the teams won’t race and simply boycott the race. They go and do a secret test with Mercedes to improve the tyres, where is to me it looks like they made it even worst conditions.
Hairs (@hairs)
1st July 2013, 23:52
Bit conflicted about this one.
One the one hand, the tyre failures were scary in the extreme. On the other hand, the second half of the race was quite a thrill, the guy who looked like he was going to walk the championship (again) had a failure, and there was a lot of genuine overtaking, but that’s still down to tyres that clearly aren’t safe. If we lose the excitement by going back to 2012 tyres, a part of me will be sad. However, it’ll be worth it.
Hopefully Mercedes are gaining enough speed to put up an actual challenge in the races. Certainly, Ferrari just don’t have the speed and can’t seem to put speed onto the car during the year, Lotus can’t seem to get strategies right, and McLaren appear to be falling asleep at the wheel completely.
PJA (@pja)
4th July 2013, 19:21
I gave it an eight, I thought about marking it down due to all the tyre failures but I decided against it and felt overall all it was an entertaining race.