[Official] Round 11 - Belgian Grand Prix (merged)

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by Beetle

I do hope you're trolling.

Who won the last GP against a 3rd-placed Vettel?

It is a bit of a fluke. Rosberg was 1.7 and 2.2 seconds faster than Hamilton on each of the first two Q3 fast laps respectively. Hamilton got a third lap (when the track was drying fast) and Rosberg didn't.

Hamilton still had to beat the Bulls, well done to him, but sometimes it's best to be last to cross the line and Hamilton clearly benefited from that today.

[IceMan_PJN]

Originally Posted by Beryl

It is a bit of a fluke. Rosberg was 1.7 and 2.2 seconds faster than Hamilton on each of the first two Q3 fast laps respectively. Hamilton got a third lap (when the track was drying fast) and Rosberg didn't.

Hamilton still had to beat the Bulls, well done to him, but sometimes it's best to be last to cross the line and Hamilton clearly benefited from that today.

Hamilton isn't the only driver that benefited from being out last, though, as it also aided Vettel and Webber, but I don't think too many people would have called a Vettel pole here a "fluke" had he been the one to get it instead of Lewis. Regardless, it isn't like it's unusual for Hamilton to take pole, as he has done this repeatedly and today makes four poles in a row for Hamilton. Di Resta on pole, had the track not dried late into the session, would have been more of a fluke, but he'd probably receive a lot of praise for it.

[andy666]

Fluke or not , I don't care . I predicted Hammy on pole so I am pleased . Felt a bit sorry for Di Resta though . Is Lewis playing a new game ? Seemingly struggle for 3 practice sessions then BANG pole ! Lewis you big bluffer , we are on to you !

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by andy666

Fluke or not , I don't care . I predicted Hammy on pole so I am pleased . Felt a bit sorry for Di Resta though . Is Lewis playing a new game ? Seemingly struggle for 3 practice sessions then BANG pole ! Lewis you big bluffer , we are on to you !

Sandbagging.

[andy666]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Sandbagging.

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by FAS33

Hamilton on pole, what a fluke. too bad Vettel will destroy him tomorrow lol

correction ...

..."too bad Vettel's car will destroy him tomorrow

[Spritle]

Originally Posted by andy666

Fluke or not, I don't care . I predicted Hammy on pole so I am pleased.

Make that TWO flukes!

[luke g28]

Heard talk of web / vet and ham holding back on the penultimate lap to make sure they only just made it across the line. Would explain why Rosbergs prev lap was so much faster?

Great qualy session.

[Razzzor]

Originally Posted by luke g28

Heard talk of web / vet and ham holding back on the penultimate lap to make sure they only just made it across the line. Would explain why Rosbergs prev lap was so much faster?

Great qualy session.

Yeah Webber said it himself in the conference didn't he? They backed off on the second lap to save the tyres for the final lap.

I wonder how things would have gone if there was no chance of that third lap for anyone. Might have been Rosberg-Di Resta 1-2, then Hammo and RB 8-9-10. They did get lucky to get that last lap. And Hamilton lucky to even make the top 10.

On the other hand, Massa should have had another lap, and surely there must have been someone else who would have been within 10-15sec of Hamilton and got a third lap too? They all left the pits together!

Probably doesn't matter tomorrow if it rains, anyone could win. Though I do think still it'll be between Hamilton and Vettel.

[andy666]

Originally Posted by Spritle

Make that TWO flukes!

You got that right !

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by luke g28

Heard talk of web / vet and ham holding back on the penultimate lap to make sure they only just made it across the line. Would explain why Rosbergs prev lap was so much faster?

Rosberg was just that much faster. On the first flying lap for that pack, Rosberg was the fastest by 1.7 seconds over Hamilton (at that point conditions were still getting worse, nobody knew they would improve later so everybody definitely was going as fast as they could). On the second lap, the first three on track probably backed off later in the lap when they realized conditions were starting to improve and that they could get another lap in.

Originally Posted by Razzzor

On the other hand, Massa should have had another lap, and surely there must have been someone else who would have been within 10-15sec of Hamilton and got a third lap too? They all left the pits together!

Massa did a race-style stop and didn't take on fuel so he could get out early before things got really wet, but that also meant he could only do an out-lap, one flying lap and an in-lap. He was banking on conditions worsening for everybody else and not getting better, but it obviously didn't happen for him.

If the rain hadn't let up, the order would have been DIR-ROS-MAS-HAM.

About that gap, they obviously spread out a bit to give each other space and then Alonso (who was between Lewis and Kimi, I think) spun on his first lap, which left a gap between Hamilton and Raikkonen. Hamilton crossed the line for his last lap with seconds to go, but Kimi onwards it was the checkered flag.

[jsTrecu]

Originally Posted by bella

i don't know if lewis is surprised at his own form as much as he is surprised at the lack of opposition

Yeah it must feel good to see that Red Bull can't do anything to counter your car's pace and having Vettel constantly behind.
This is very good for Lewis psychologically, he was starting to get a little obsessed with Seb.

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by jsTrecu

Yeah it must feel good to see that Red Bull can't do anything to counter your car's pace and having Vettel constantly behind.
This is very good for Lewis psychologically, he was starting to get a little obsessed with Seb.

Psychology; it's something that will never show up on paper and therefore you can't factor it into anything. The human mind is a fickler bit of kit than modern Formula 1 car.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

As far as I know the rain will be on/off throughout tomorrow, which means that I'm gonna be bold and go for the JB-VDG 1-2 here.

[OZ_HCR32]

Frankly, I would like Hamilton to stop saying that RBR have the quicker csr. Looking at the quali stats for the year I think its pretty clear that RBR are no longer fastest in quali

Listening to Hamilton would have you believe every pole he has got this year has been dragging a slow car to the front when the other shave faulted

[jsTrecu]

Hard to admit you have the fastest car when you've been putting down Vettel the past three years for that very same reason. You don't want people saying you are finally beating him "because of the car" like you did when he beated you.
Luckily for him Seb doesn't play that game and will take all the blame for missing the pole even if his RB was not there on speed.

Originally Posted by Beetle

Psychology; it's something that will never show up on paper and therefore you can't factor it into anything. The human mind is a fickler bit of kit than modern Formula 1 car.

You know what I mean, he's been the most affected driver mentally by the Vettel/RBR domination. A talent like him should not say things like "I'm wasting my best years in a bad car" or "right know I'm more focused on making music".
He is fast but also weak compared to Alonso or Kimi IMO, and it was showing until he started to get those poles and gained some confidence again.

I'm happy for him because he is so exciting to watch when he is motivated, and right now he could be the only driver capable of challenging Vettel for the WDC with Lotus and Ferrari losing ground.

[davyboy]

Fantastic qualifying session yesterday, one of the best in a long time. Let's hope the race is as entertaining today. Still think the best way to spice up F1 is to fit sprinklers to every track

On another subject, what did people think of Eddie 'Roger Cook' Jordan doorstepping Christian Horner ? I thought it was quite refreshing to get somebody this side of the camera slicing through the corporate BS of people like Horner so directly. I was waiting for EJ to pull a copy of Ricciardo's signed contract out of his pocket and stuff it under Horner's nose. Now if only EJ could be as coherent when he's in a non-combative situation

[Marbot]

Apparently, there are some Greenpeace protesters at the circuit who are wanting to make a point.............

[bjohnsonsmith]

A clean start but Vettel gets Lewis.

[bjohnsonsmith]

That was fantastic stuff; Alonso just holding off Lewis.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Kimi's out. What a shame and the end to a great run of finishes; looks like a break issue, loads of dust coming from the left front from the outset.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Congrats to Finger Boy; total domination.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

A clean start but Vettel gets Lewis.

'Gets' Lewis? Drove past him as though he was standing still. I knew from that moment I would be catching up on a lot of sleep during this GP.......

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by jsTrecu

Yeah it must feel good to see that Red Bull can't do anything to counter your car's pace and having Vettel constantly behind.
This is very good for Lewis psychologically, he was starting to get a little obsessed with Seb.

Well now that the race is over the reverse is true. RBR had an advantage over Mercedes. Why they put Webber on the tyres they did is beyond me. If he was two stopping he should have been on the hard tyres in the last stint, not the mediums.

[Aysedasi]

Webber is run by a completely different team.

It's the only viable conclusion you can reach - race, after race, after race........