[Official] Team of the race: Australian Grand Prix

[chillibowl]

on so many levels it was Mclaren for me.

[Zico]

McLaren, they had a solid race and earned the most points.. simple.

How could it be Mercedes? Yes they do have the quickest car which has a fairly realistic chance of clinching the Manufacturers Championship but this is about team of the race and they only had one car finish it.

[Adam43]

Because some value the win over two finishers?
Like in the old days were a win was 10 points, second was 6 and third was 4. So a win was worth the same as second and third, but worth more in the championship due to count back.
Just what people prioritise.

[mikuni]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

What a shame Claire didn't look happier when the camera picked her up in the garage.

I thought the same thing momentarily, but then thought more about why she looked the way she did. One of her cars taken out before the first corner, the other car almost binned it too and ended up with a result much lower than was possible. The Williams was a very quick car at Melbourne and I think it's fair to feel they were robbed of a result similar to what Mclaren walked away with. Sure they should be happy compared to 2013, but compared to a real Williams result, I think it's fair that they weren't over the moon with their race.

[jsTrecu]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Because some value the win over two finishers?
Like in the old days were a win was 10 points, second was 6 and third was 4. So a win was worth the same as second and third, but worth more in the championship due to count back.
Just what people prioritise.

For me is not only the win, but also the pace, showing everyone they'll be the car/team to beat.

I understand why McLaren could get the vote. A great improvement over last year, great pace and even better reliability, getting more points than any other team. It's hard to vote against that.
But Mercedes impressed me even more.

[Henry]

Mercedes. They weren't bettered during qualifying, and on race day, they weren't headed. Sure, only one car finished, but that car dominated. DNF's are all part of it in the end.

Honorable mentions to McLaren for their 2-3 finish, Williams for finding relative pace they had previously showed every sign of having forgotten how to find.

Red Bull get a raspberry for thumbing their nose at FIA directives and letting their new driver down when it was all too apparent he was ready to give his best.

[Neil22]

McLaren.

[Mekola]

McLaren did a leap forward in this race.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Henry

Mercedes. They weren't bettered during qualifying, and on race day, they weren't headed. Sure, only one car finished, but that car dominated. DNF's are all part of it in the end.

So, what if McLaren finished 2nd and 3rd....? One dominant car and another total failure still equals TOTR?

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

So, what if McLaren finished 2nd and 3rd....? One dominant car and another total failure still equals TOTR?

I can quite understand why someone would give McLaren TOTR, or Merc for that matter.

Quite why you would vote for someone DOTR, who made a huge mistake and bounced a podium bound car off the wall, is quite beyond me!

Nice try, no cigar!

[Henry]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

So, what if McLaren finished 2nd and 3rd....? One dominant car and another total failure still equals TOTR?

Winners are grinners... and the rest can please themselves.

Many experienced team owners and drivers in a huge array of categories have said that fielding two competitive cars and getting them both across the line is an epic quest. While McLaren's results were certainly well-qualified, for mine the only way they could've done any better on the day was if Rosberg's Mercedes had failed. It didn't. Sure, the sister car, the quickest qualifier did, but what intrigued me about the early troubles with the new breed of cars is how finicky they are.

Ricciardo's car, for instance, wasn't working properly when it left the garage, but a simple reboot gave it a new lease on life (even if one counters with the reality that the car was disqualified for a tech infringement), and it ran all race. I'd be interested in what readings the FIA sensor that led to its exclusion read all race, to compare the plotted total consumption with the physical amount of fuel left to them at race end. But that's by-the-by

The truth is, that to finish first, one must first finish, and as impressive as McLaren was in getting two cars home, Mercedes got one home emphatically ahead of them.

Anyway, that's my two bob. Obviously I've used different criteria to the ones you've judged your selection upon, but I'm comfortable with that.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by wnut

I can quite understand why someone would give McLaren TOTR, or Merc for that matter.

Quite why you would vote for someone DOTR, who made a huge mistake and bounced a podium bound car off the wall, is quite beyond me!

Nice try, no cigar!

I didn't.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I didn't.

Relieved to hear it Ayse!