There were so many Korean fans trying to get into the new Yeongam circuit on Sunday that several thousand decided to abandon their cars and walk into the circuit, as the traffic had simply stopped moving.The Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik had managed to get through and the focus of the world was on the venue as the cars headed for the grid. It had rained for most of the morning, but it intensified as everyone prepared for the off and we saw the dreaded message “Safety Car Start”, which strikes at the heart of every racing fan. The start was delayed for 10 minutes but then they were off and we listened in to hear the messages going backwards and forwards. Fernando Alonso reported it was the worst conditions he had ever seen in a racing car, Jenson Button said that the straight was like a lake (although it is hard to know what that feels like as, in my experience, cars tend to sink when driven on to lakes…)
After two laps Race Control red-flagged it and the cars returned to the grid, to wait for better conditions. It would be a 48 minute wait and throughout there was a sense of desperation that perhaps the weather would not change and the track would never be dry, which would mean that the Grand Prix would have to be called off when darkness fell. It was, quite literally, a race against time. And for race promoter Yung Cho Chung these were nerve-racking moments. At one point I went out into the paddock to see just how bad the rain was and I bumped into him. He looked absolutely terrified and said: “They are gonna kill me”. The late start time (3pm), added to the two delays (58 minutes) and the prospect of sunset at 5.45pm meant that it seemed pretty unlikely that the Grand Prix would go to the full 55 laps. In the end, however, the rain calmed a little and the cars were on their way again for 14 laps more behind the Safety Car before the order to start was finally given. The conditions had been bad early on in those laps, but Lewis Hamilton was soon telling McLaren it was time to start the race, while others were less convinced.
In the first lap of actual racing the two Mercedes seemed to be well-suited to the conditions with Nico Rosberg passing Lewis Hamilton and further back Michael Schumacher got ahead of Robert Kubica. And then disaster struck Red Bull Racing as Mark Webber hooked a wheel off the track and spun across the road into a wall, bouncing back into the path of Rosberg and taking them both out of the race. It could not have been any worse for the Australia. he was out and his World Championship rivals were running first and second behind the Safety Car.
It would be six laps before the race was on again and then another seven before the next intervention caused by Sebastien Buemi colliding with Timo Glock, an incident which would result in the Swiss driver getting a five-place grid penalty for Brazil, along with Adrian Sutil, who had so many incidents that the FIA Stewards would have been forgiven for taking him out the back of Race Control and putting him up against the wall. He was a menace to society today and it undid much good work this year, which had people believing that he had finally begun to show some maturity. Another man who did himself untold damage (amazingly, not literally) was Vitaly Petrov who went off and demolished his Renault against a barrier – his second such smash in a fortnight. It was a very big shunt.
Through it all Vettel led Alonso with Hamilton trying to hold on and Felipe Massa tagging along for the ride. the carnage helped Michael Schumacher on his way to his best showing of the year, which will no doubt be hailed by his fans as a sign that all is fine and dandy and his comeback was a really wizard idea. The pattern remained the same until lap 43 when the Spanish media began to make louder than usual squawking noises as it became clear that Alonso was closing quickly on Vettel. The German then tried a cunning stunt saying that the light was so bad he could not see anything at all, which was clearly a message designed to get Race Control to stop the Grand Prix and let him win. The smart folk at McLaren then radioed Lewis and asked about the light, and he replied that all was well and there were no problems at all. Race Control no doubt heard this as well. A few moments later it was clear why Vettel had tried it on. His engine went boom-bang-a-bang so effectively that it would probably have won the Eurovision Song Contest… to the utter and complete dismay of his team. Red Bull Racing, nul points.
That left Alonso out front with Hamilton in pursuit, but Lewis never really looked any great threat and drifted backwards as the race moved gently into darkness. Behind Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, Schumacher and Robert Kubica there was rather more action as Tonio Liuzzi gave Adrian Sutil a few tips about how to move through the field without hitting things and collecting penalties. Liuzzi finished sixth from 17th on the grid. Behind him Rubens Barrichello, the Saubers and Alguersuari were kept alert by Sutil bashing into all and sundry. There was some fun on the last lap when Nico Hulkenberg grabbed the final point from Jaime Alguersuari, while Jenson Button was 12th, after getting stuck in the midfield after an early stop. he was not helped by Sutil shoving him off…
Down at the back the small fry produced just three survivors with Heikki Kovalainen 13th and the two HRTs in 14th and 15th.
The race ended bang on two hours of elapsed time, but actually two hours and 48 minutes after they had originally set off. As darkness fell everyone decided that it had been a fabulous race, on a very good race track, with a crowd of 80,000. Yung Cho Chung looked rather happy and went off to have a lie down after a fairly stressful day.
But a great effort…
The World Championship was turned on its head, with Fernando Alonso now leading Webber and Hamilton, with Vettel having suddenly dropped to fourth. Button is mathematically still in with a chance of the title, but it is not going happen. Vettel’s hopes look pretty slim as well.
Something to look forward to in Brazil and Abu Dhabi…
Joe,
Well, it sure was interesting. Wonder what Red Bull will do now for the next two races?
They better get behind Webber or they get nothing for the year.
Somehow, I think Alonso will win the championship.
Loved the way the con rods from the Renault sparkled as they bounced down the track under the Red Bull.
Does anyone know / think Vettel will need a new engine = 10 place grid penalty in Brazil?
Interesting take on Sutil’s efforts this evening. Certainly his penalty is just comeuppence for his incident with Kobayashi but at times I thought his barnstorming drive was reminiscent of Kobayashi himself at Japan…
Given the weather today he was playing against the odds and pushing for all the ‘low percenters’ saw him too often off-track instead but through out it all he did manage a couple of entertaining ‘brave’ passes!
A very nice report with a lot of wonderful impressions on and off the track, a great race as well and probably the best man on the track won today with quite a lot of help from Lady Luck. Another helpful character, and missing from your report, was Lewis Hamilton though when he missed the braking point into turn 1 after the third restart and thus had to let Alonso through into P2. In the end this proved to be very decisive for the outcome of the race.
Secondly, why didn’t Webber step onto the brakes after he had made contact with the wall? Sliding backwards across the track is never a good idea. Perhaps he was no menace to society but he certainly was a menace to poor Nico Rosberg.
And Alonso obviously set a fastest lap time just when the final two corners were under yellows after Petrov’s shunt. But thanks to the likes of Sutil and Buemi the race stewards probably had their eyes elsewhere.
You really aren’t a fan of Schumacher, are you Joe…?
I am a fan (despite his flaws), and even without the retirements, from which he clearly benefited, I thought it was his best drive of the season – if a little conservative at times.
Proof that his comeback was a great idea? Not yet, but definitely (along with his improved pace in other recent races) a sign that it perhaps wasn’t the massive mistake that his detractors would have us believe. He’s undoubtedly past his best, but given a decent car (preferably one which, like his title-winning Benettons and Ferraris, is designed with his input and with his unique driving style in mind), I think 2011 could see him return to something resembling race-winning form.
As for Vettel’s “Stop the race while I’m leading!” demand… Cynical stuff, but I seem to remember Senna and Prost (successfully) using that trick in the past.
What will happen at Red Bull if neither driver wins the WDC after having clearly the fastest car this season? I really do not see Mateschitz accepting bad luck as an excuse…
Cabby,
I guess they try again next year.
Just a “colour commentary”. Yes, Joe, I´ve been suffering the spanish media squawking for the last x years (16 lived (in Jerez), and bald presenter A.L.´s current tenure). It has got to the point where I must turn off the sound when the red lights are about to go off… The flat where I live does not architecturally allow me to orient a sat. dish to pick up the BBC, and by internet I´m blocked by commercial agreements.
FOTA! I wouldn´t mind pay per view!!!!!
Two things struck me today.
It’s becoming a slightly recurring theme that races are under pressure of nightfall closing in. Malaysia 2009 was a race that could and should have been resumed, bar for the fact it was dark. Recent Australian Grands Prix have had the problem of low-level sun in the drivers eyes, as opposed to a direct lack of light, but it’s a similar problem.
It cannot be coincidence. It seems clear to me that if Formula 1 is going to continue on its dual track of pushing ever more into the Asian markets and timezones whilst doing everything possible to pander to the sports primary audience markets in Europe, that this problem is going to continue and potentially increase in frequency.
Firstly it’d be interesting to know how such a race “ends”. Today they got a bit lucky, but what if the SC had continued for another 3, 4, 5 laps? Does the race director make a judgement call on when it’s too dark and simply throw the chequered flag next time the leader passes, regardless of laps/time left? Does he call a Safety Car and then let the drivers argue the toss over the radio, with conflicting views aired to pressure both sides, as happened today, with all the while the light fading yet further? Is there a strategy being developed for such a circumstance?
Secondly I wonder if there is a risk we will someday see the FIA run a “Safety Car grand prix”. Was it coincidence the SC initially ran today for 3 laps, the minimum to constitute a race result (albeit for half points), before things were red-flag suspended? If you were being cynical you’d say the FIA ensured it got the bare minimum run so that they could get it out of the way and move on ASAP.
(I also, again in recent times, remember Fuji 2007, where for a long time people were wondering if the whole thing would just run under SC until enough distance (75%) was covered to give a full points result.)
Ok both races eventually got going, but somehow I suspect one day will see the FIA declare a Grand Prix “winner” and result when the race has technically never been run under green flag conditions. Surely the PR fallout from a 3 lap “race” as we saw today, if it had never been restarted, would be of order of that of the Indianapolis USGP 6-car farce? It’d be interesting to know prepared the FIA are to postpone a Grand Prix and run it on Monday – like NASCAR regularly do and MotoGP did last season.
Perhaps this is being overly worried about circumstances outwith the control of the sport but when you are pushing Asian race schedules to the limit to benefit European audiences it seems a problem that needs to be considered.
as already stated , pretty obvious that vettel should now help webber to try and win the WDC ;
question is …will they do it ? they certainly would if it was their favoured son ahead ; my guess is that they will gamble on alonso having bad results in order to try and get a vettel WDC
and although hamilton has only a distant hope button should be helping him …I have no doubt that is what will happen
actually, assuming no mechanical issues, I’m 100% sure Vettel will end ahead of Hamilton because McLaren isn’t fast and there’s only 4 points between them.
If you see Vettel chances slim, than Hamilton chances are anorexic.
I still consider Webber the favourite but he’ll have to win a race for that. But if you wanna win the championship and you have the fastest car with you, winning a race isn’t a miracle.
Irrespective of wanting to let their drivers race RBR are completely out of their minds if they don’t get Vettel to give way to Mark from here on out, even though Horner has come out already and said they won’t.
Assume Vettel wins the remaining two. That will put him on 256. Alonso only needs a third and a fourth to win the championship. I wouldn’t want to take that bet.
If RBR are serious about wanting both titles they need to make sure Webber wins both GPs no matter what they’ve promised the drivers about equality because if Webber wins both then it’s mathematically impossible for Alonso to win. If Webber won both Brazil and AD then he’d have 270 vs a maximum of 267 for Alonso if he came second in both races.
Nice article, but is it really necessary to insult Schumacher (and worse, his fans) after every single race?
Christian,
I have insulted no-one
“Which will no doubt be hailed by his fans as a sign that all is fine and dandy and his comeback was a really wizard idea. ”
Or, it will just be hailed by his fans as a well judged drive in tremendously difficult conditions. A confident assured performance which, while far from erasing the disappointment of the season as a whole, certainly shows a gathering trajectory of improvement.
Bodes well for Michael, his fans, and those who need stories to (t/s)ell next year.
Dear Joe,
A couple of thoughts if I may from the race today:
Firstly – Do you agree that it is illogical to base F1 start times around (what I would imagine to be) the small group of people in Europe who are dedicated enough to get out of bed at 7am, but not quite dedicated enough to get out of bed at 5am?
That’s a pretty narrow criteria of F1 fan to focus the race scheduling on in my opinion – meanwhile the drivers have to race in the dark, and everyone else (spectators at the track, those who live outside of Europe, those in Europe who would be happy to get up at 5am, and those who are quite happy to record the race/watch a rerun) have races potentially limited due to a lack of daylight?
Doesn’t seem to add up to me.
Secondly – why does F1 (post 2006) seem to have this issue with wet weather so much more frequently now? I’ve watched F1 since 1989 and, maybe I have selective memory, but the only two races that I can recall being seriously rain affected to the point that the cars simply couldn’t run were Australia ’91 and Suzuka ’94.
Is it the new F1 calendar (venues/race dates/start times)? Bridgestone having inadequate wet tyres? Race tracks now being engineered to suit the cars rather than the other way around and an inability to adapt to less than perfect conditions? Fallout from Coulthard eliminating half the field in Spa 98?
Would be interested in your thoughts.
John.
Will Buxton reported on SPEED that Webber’s eyes were puffy and red, and that he had clearly been blubbing before he came out and talked to reporters.
I’d assume he didn’t get a hug from Marko, like Seb did, when he came back to the garage.
Very hard to stay up and watch that race with the delay, though. It’s times like that, when I really miss CART. Thanks FTG, for “fixing” AOWR… I’m happy the S. Koreans got to watch a full race though.
jim
I don’t think Mark is a blubber.
Dear Adrian was great entertainment.
I just wonder how the points would look if Nico had managed to steer clear of Mark and the rest of the race had panned out how it did, what with Lewis on slicks at the end…………………………………..
We also had a rather pleasant surprise – the TV appearance of Mr Saward himself during Marting Brundle’s grid walk! Glad you made it all the way there unlike many others who more and more often are ‘reporting’ from locations far away from the actual event…
I felt really sorry for Red Bull, a nightmare of a race…
You “forgot” to mention Hamilton threw away a win with a Sutil like error on the restart.
Cracking race. Really gutted for Webber though. Am I right in thinking that he has a new engine left though? Not sure whether it’ll give him much of an advantage over Alonso (unless it blows up of course).
Great to see you on BBC tv during the grid walk having a chat with Alan Jones! Its a shame Brundle couldn’t have had a chat with you too!
Joe
It was a really entertaining race, I thought.
But that’s a great point by N. Will Vettel need a new engine or can they use an old one?
Red Bull were all over the BBC coverage saying they were not going to support one driver or another. If Vettel had a ten place grid penalty for a new engine, then surly Webber would get the backing…?!
So right after Red Bull finish announcing to all and sundry that they will not institute team orders, the Korea race throws the ‘perfect storm’ for team orders back in their face.
Looking at the standings, the only Red Bull driver who has control of his destiny is Webber. Vettel no longer does, because even if he could win the last 2 races, he would not beat Alonso if the Spaniard could manage just a 3rd and 4th place finish. Such a scenario would see Vettel come up 2 points short and is well within Ferrari and Alonso’s current capabilities. On the other hand, Webber would claim the title if he wins the last 2 races even if Alsonso could claim second place in both. Such a scenario would show Webber 3 points clear.
The coming weeks will tell us if Christian Horner and Red Bull Racing were honest with the fans when they claimed (needlessly IMHO) that they will not use team orders to manipulate the results of their drivers or if they were just trying to grab some good will for free thinking that a scenario where team orders were needed would no longer come back to bite them.
Hi Joe, Question for you regarding race rules. With Vettel’s engine failure, he will need a new engine but he has already used up his allotment of engines (8) so he now needs a 9th. Will he be penalised for that at the next race? My understanding is a new engine usually means 10 place grid drop, but as his engine exploded as opposed to being proactively swapped will he stil stuffer this penalty?
I wonder if race control will ever take comment from Vettel (the boy who cried wolf) seriously again.
After all the early race whinging about the race being far too wet, it took 3 whole laps after the safety car coming in before other cars pitted for inters. I was starting to wonder if cars would pit from behind the safety car to put slicks on…
Today was a race of 4 failures, the track be too fresh and poorly drained, the Bridgestone wets not really being up to the job, race control pussy-footing around, and Red Bull messing up.
Vettel’s engine was on the third race. So he would have used other engines for the last two races anyway.
It is rather cynical to suggest that Red Bull had any knowledge of Vettel’s engine blowing up in lap 46 when they argued the sun was setting in lap 44.
[img]http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4739/bildschirmfoto20101024ut.png[/img]
Compare the light level at the McLaren command center on lap 44.
Horner and Vettel both said that the complete right cylinder bank failed completely out of the blue.
Hi Joe,
Any word or thoughts even on Alonso’s engine situation? Is it at all likely that he’ll have to take a new one before the end of the season? Is the mileage low enough on his remaining units?
The difference though is that Kobayashi made it stick every time, whereas Sutil just pushed people off track before going there himself…
Speaking of Japanese drivers, who else here thinks that Yamamoto seems to be doing a far better job than he’s given credit for?
Loved the way the con rods from the Renault sparkled as they bounced down the track under the Red Bull.
Well, it sure was interesting. Wonder what Red Bull will do now for the next two races?
Joe,
I feel so sorry for Red Bull and especially for Mark Webber, who must be having his pleasant dreams of retiring with atleast one World Title rudely disturbed by the likes of Alonso and Vettel.
But being a regular reader of your blog for quite a while now( and I must say, it’s a pleasure to read) I expected you to take quite a few digs at Michael Schumacher and I was not disappointed. I know you are not particularly fond of him, but you must grudgingly agree that his performance yesterday was a lot better than say China on a wet track? In fact, it was a gritty drive in very bad conditions. Not only did he not make a procession out of the race, but was able to overtake Kubica and Button who were clearly struggling.
Schumacher is older and yes, the fire might not be burning as brightly as before.. I was mostly disappointed this season, but what I have read here makes me wonder what he has done to make you write every sentence about him with a hint of sarcasm and dislike. Of course, it is your opinion, but praise veiled with a dagger is something not so cool
Give credit when due and criticize otherwise.. Even when the devil does a good deed..
And I was wondering this too? What would have happened if Schumacher had driven like Button yesterday and ended up 12th? I guess it would have made a lot of people happier.
Cheers Joe!
[...] Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/a-look-back-at-korea/ [...]
I nodded off after the first safety car start.
Ha yes I do think a lot of Schumacher fans will thinks his P4 is some sort of resurgence.
I normally think Alonso is a colossal whinger but he is a very good driver + I was quite happy he won. I don’t like Vettel as much this year…Marko giving him hugsies afterwards didn’t help…
Overall I thought Korea was pretty good.
By the way, Joe, I would love to subscribe to Grandprix Plus but is there another way to pay aside from PayPal?
@ Peter G
I agree that Alonso has a good chance, he has his team behind him.
Joe
If Red Bull fail to win the WDC this year they can only look to Turkey where it all went wrong. If they had followed their rule book from last year when they kept Vettel behind Webber they would have avoided all the internal dramas this year. If they don’t get behind Webber now they certainly won’t win the championship. I think it’s Alonso’s to lose now, though.
[...] A look back at Korea… There were so many Korean fans trying to get into the new Yeongam circuit on Sunday that several thousand decided to [...] [...]
Hamilton didn’t throw away a win. With his tires, Alonso clearly had the pace to overtake him toward the end, plus McLaren made a crap set up – even Mercedes was faster.
They were too stiff.
Was gutted to see mark spin out, but adding my interest in the engine sitch to those above who have spoken of it. Looking forward to Joe offering his take on this.
I seem to remember Alonso being at the twilight of his engine allocation and Vettel can’t be in a good position either. I think AussieGrit is actually in the best position engine-wise, maybe one less race on his lump than SV? Will this prove to be a deciding factor in the championship . . . ?
Joe,
Regarding the race ,a reasonable man might ask how the 38 lap race went. It doesn’t pass the common sense test to run a “race” starting with the safety car and then cover a parade for 17 or so laps. Apparently, if the safety car had run the 55 laps, the “race” would have ended with Vettel, Webber et al as they qualified.
I don’t disagree with hanging on to see if the real race could have started but if you can’t race then don’t start. Also, some of the drivers make more in one race then some of us make in a lifetime (except maybe you). If there was a sheet of ice around the course, so what. These highly paid and some times recalcitrant boys should be able to control themselves and there cars.
As others have stated, you don’t like Michael Schumacher. So what. How many GP’s have you won? I don’t recall seeing you in any! If his return has come up short, so what? He clearly is better than half the field and the drive per pay guys who dilute the whole system. We are looking at a real circus that is moving to far flung parts of the globe for what. Oh yes, only a coincidence that it lines Bernie Ecclestone’s pocket with more Euros. You don’t mention that very often, or perhaps at all.
When the real race (all 38 laps) finally started, it was pretty good. Unfortunately, Hobbs, Varsha et all could only refer to top speeds and decreasing lap times without actually mentioning what they were. Perhaps, they were saving the information for some premium extra cost show.
Robert Passman,
Your point is irrelevant. I am not a racing driver. Why would I be in any races. If you think he is doing well, then bully for you. The vast majority of the F1 circus thinks his comeback was unwise and has been disappointing, but if you do not want to hear it, then you be deaf to that fact. It is up to Michael to do was he pleases with his reputation.
Hey Joe,
Not to insult you, but is there any chance you’re pulling a Clinton by using the phrase “I don’t THINK Mark is a blubber”? It’s not as definite as “Mark didn’t have a cry for himself”.
Buxton stated that Webber had clearly been crying. Seems a lil strange if you were there too and didn’t see any evidence of it.
Thanks.
Jim,
You are entitled to believe what you like. Will is a good guy and if he thinks that then he is allowed to think it. I don’t go for that. It is not Mark’s style at all.
I could say I have known MW since Will was in short trousers, but that does not prove anything. You can believe who you like.
I agree with Robert McKay – it would be a complete farce if a race, one day, is “completed” without green flag action. I would have thought, that instead of requiring 75% distance covered before awarding points, and three laps constituting a “race”, the rules should be re-written such that for instance, they are required to do 30% green flag laps for half points, and 75% green flag laps for whole points. There seems no provision for postponing the race to the Monday. I don’t understand why. The TV companies will find a slot in their schedules if it were postponed – just look at the Ryder Cup. If it cannot be completed by having a proper race, then much better to cancel the event completely due to the inclement weather in my view.
It is a nonsense that the cars tour around behind the safety car when the conditions are obviously much better than previous races. Perhaps the driver on the stewards panel should be telling Charlie Whiting what to do, rather than have all the current drivers trying to persuade him to their own ends. Whilst I can appreciate the thought that the drivers are in the “best position” to comment, it is inevitably open to spin, Alistair Campbell-style.
Thanks for your excellent blog – would have been nice if Martin Brundle had grabbed you for a chat on the grid. Thanks for going there and providing insight from the event. I hope you managed to find a room that was not shared by anyone (without your consent!).
about MW supposedly blubbing
don’t believe it. he didn’t even hide behind his helmet on the way across the paddock
if you’re going to blub, or even scowl and curse, you don’t take off your helmet
geez, he was almost chipper in interview
I’m REALLY warming to MW’s personality, his conduct today in the face of bloody awful news was exemplary and in fact warm – hearted
it would be awesome if he made the title, and i’ve no favourites this season but i cried out in despair and disappointment when Mark crashed out
think that was the first time in a decade i yelled at the TV
– j
When the race eventually got going, it was amazing. I couldn’t believe it when Webber spun out and I was even more in disbelief when Vettel’s engine blew up.
Regarding Schumi, he showed parts of his former self when he was testing the limits of grip off line during the SC period after the race had started again and he nailed Kubica in a place where he had done research. I think that was very good.
And I am no Schumi fan at all!
@Ray “As for Vettel’s “Stop the race while I’m leading!” demand… Cynical stuff, but I seem to remember Senna and Prost (successfully) using that trick in the past.”
Don’t forget Schuie doing the same in Malaysia a few years ago when he put on inters, then said it was too dangerous to start so it was left until it was so dry that he was on the right tyres and everyone else on wets had to stop straight away.
Btw, Joe. Saw Martin Brundle butt in on you and Jonesy having a conversation on the grid. I was half expecting Martin to turn around after talking to Alan and say “so, Joe, how is it like being so tall?”
Anyway, he just barged off and you had to jump out of the way. That’s live TV for you!
I’ve come to the conclusion that none of the five drivers deserve the championship this year:
Alonso: likely to win by a points margin conferred by illegal team orders
Vettel: can’t overtake, too many mistakes, over-indulged
Hamilton: too many mistakes this year
Webber: a GP winner but not championship material (see also DC)
Button: purely because successfully defending a title with a new team has only ever been done before by Fangio, and good as Button is, he’s not in that league
When MSC announced his comeback I wondered what odds I’d get on him not scoring a podium all year, but decided against it.
(Did I ever mention the time I predicted the first 8 winners of the 1997 season in advance and never placed the bet…I stopped calculating what I might have won with an accumulator when it reached millions…I recall DC was 16/1 in the first race of the year which would have got it off to a good start…)
Also, why is Michael still MSC on the race classifications? Now Ralf’s gone shouldn’t he be SCH?
I agree that it was a good drive from Schumacher, but I am not certain that it was a great driver. Where would he have finished with respect to Rosberg if the latter had not been taken out by Webber?
Joe,
here is one mightily Angry Sutil fan who wants you to stop pisssing on him. Army of angry Sutil fanboys will attack this blog tomorrow.
Sutil has won no races, but neither did you. You play keyboard, but he can play piano. There you go.
Only joking, of course.
Your points on Sutil are mostly valid. But what do you think, is there a place in F1 of 21st century for someone so Alesi-like?
He is probably not WC material, but characters with lots of speed and lack of reason were always important part of F1 show.
What’s your view on that and drivers such as Sutil, Alesi or G Villeneuve?
Ivan,
Sutil is an odd driver. He is clearly quick. Not very technical, by all accounts. This year he has been pretty consistent. But in Korea he fell apart completely, which is not a good sign. Alesi was in a different league. Gilles Villeneueve should not even be mentioned in the same sentence.
Richard: two places back.
@BenM You make a good point. Red Bull would be mad not to favour Webber now. However, in the real world the opportunity to manipulate a result may not occur.
From a personal perspective it now looks as if the one driver of the five contenders that I would prefer not to win the Championship is going to do just that. I can’t see beyond Alonso from here. He’s too good to let it slip from this position. (I am not saying is isn’t deserving. I just don’t like him much).
Ah well, c’est la vie. I’ve had my preferred driver win for the last couple of seasons. It had to stop sometime!
Let’s hope someone else rises to the top..
Argh! The more I am exposed to Vettel the more I dislike the guy. RB constant praise of his young marvel has overloaded me. Good for MW that he has raised above all and showed that this sport is for men and not spoiled boy racers.
This is becoming the war Hamilton-Alonso of 2007 and it will happen again this year with neither RB driver winning the WDC. Sorry for Mark, really. He has truly endured a very hard environment at RB.
And, as 1 of the 4 Schumacher fans that see this as a sign that all is fine and dandy and his comeback was a really wizard idea, just wait and see 2011
Time…
McLaren (Constructors) and Lewis (driver’s) are still very much in it for the championship. Alonso has no more new engines. Red Bull have bad karma. McLaren needs to back Lewis to gain both the drivers and constructor’s titles. Button has had a dismal qualifying performace all year. He’s a lost hope at this juncture. He needs to fight dirty for position now since he is really out of it.
Also, why is Michael still MSC on the race classifications? Now Ralf’s gone shouldn’t he be SCH?
Been wondering that myself all year. Joe?
If you ever wondered what a street circuit would look like with all the surrounding buildings, towns, streets and people removed…….now you know. They kept saying that someday all of those things will magically appear around the new track, explaining the walls, fences, and absurd design compromises. Green dirt, green Astroturf at corners, blind pit entrances, zero flood control, etc. If this is the best that the Bernie/Tilke team can come up with for 1/4 billion dollars and starting from a clean sheet of paper we should all be very concerned for F1′s future.
i’m wondering if anyone would have bet (back in 2005?)that the 2 minardi team mates Webber and Alonso would now be challenging for the F1 drivers title.
Probably Briatore’s greatest contribution to the sport is to introduce these 2 guys.
Also good on Paul Stoddart back in the day for picking up this talented pairing.
There’s a quote on BBC F1 that Webber was trying to take out one of his title rivals by driving back across the circuit once he had his little “off”. He missed the important guys and got Rosberg instead. That doesn’t ring true to me. Webber seems a decent bloke, fast enough to cope without dirty tricks. OK so he’s got a glass chin when the pressure mounts, but no-one’s perfect.
Great blog Joe. I’m loving it. I’m with you on Herr Schumi.
[...] Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/a-look-back-at-korea/ [...]
A race worth watching on the bbc site then ?
I haven’t seen it yet, have been in Peru on holiday, and only saw the first safety car laps, before I had enough of the three elderly gentlemen on fox sports and lack of commentary, Spanish or not ! I still want Webber to get the title, I cannot bring myself to dislike him.
I just ran across a Peter Winsor video on youtube.
Peter spoke to Renault and among other items confims that Renault had no warning whatsoever of Vettel’s engine failure. Btw, the cause was a conrod failure in cylinder #4. Before Renault Christian Horner and Seb Vettel both said there wasn’t the smallest of indications that the engine would fail. The conrod failure is confirmed by a report on Auto Motor und Sport.
Joe, I’m writing this because in your race report above you stipulate that Vettel tried to stop the race on lap 44 because he had prior indication of the engine failure that occurred later on lap 46. The story shows how easy one gets caught out by ones pre conceptions. I believe that you have a soft spot for Webber and you are routinely critical of Vettel. It would be better to wait for facts instead of making assumptions and present them as facts to your audience.
Werner,
Might you consider that they were not telling the truth? Or does it have always to be the fault of the journalist?
[...] A look back at Korea… [...]
Werner Berger
I just ran across a Peter Winsor video on youtube.
Well, I had a look at that video, and Peter Windsor commented on the fact that Vettel was wearing a clear visor. However, Peter Winsdor stated that Vettel may have become confused whether he was wearing a clear visor, or, a tinted visor..
Mmm…Say no more .. If he doesnt know that, what else doesn’t Vettel know?
The comment about “outside supplier ” re the RENAULT engine.
FYI, engine manufacturers often use “outside suppliers”. Look at your motor car, and see what the car companies actually manufacture.
Usually the body shell, engine, and certain companies do make their own drive train components.
Same applies to Racing Cars and engines.
Not all made ” in house”
BTW… Many people have a soft spot for WEBBER.
Pity about his team though..
[quote]Werner,
Might you consider that they were not telling the truth? Or does it have always to be the fault of the journalist?[/quote]
It crossed my mind but it seems unlikely considering that lots of people would know about the lie and Renault would unnecessarily expose themselves to a potential discovery of a lie.
Might I ask why it was so clear to you that Vettel had prior indications of the engine failure? Do you have other sources than the TV viewers or are you just guessing?
Loved the way the con rods from the Renault sparkled as they bounced down the track under the Red Bull.
I agree that it was a good drive from Schumacher, but I am not certain that it was a great driver. Where would he have finished with respect to Rosberg if the latter had not been taken out by Webber?