Formula 1 2013

[Dell19]

Perez had to let Button as well earlier in the race.

 

[Formaldehyde]

If they didn't enforce that rule one of the two places to legitimately pass would be effectively eliminated.

I just wonder how long they are going to continue this nonsense, and what it will finally take to end it. I certainly hope it is not the death of a driver or spectators.

[YOUTUBE-OLD]ls58dt36rrE[/YOUTUBE-OLD]

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Great qualifying by Valtteri Bottas!

 

[Calis]

Great qualifying by Valtteri Bottas!

Indeed. Such weather conditions are always a chance for talented drivers to show their potential.

 

[JohannaK]

Shoot. Had to wait more than 2 hours to get two lousy tickets to a crappy amusement park. Knowing I'd be missing the qualys. Damn.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

That was an extremely impressive race by Paul Di Resta.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Botas is clearly a rising star. It is reminiscent of Ayrton Senna finishing second at Monaco in a Toleman in the wet. Too bad for him the track was dry on Sunday...

Massa also did quite well charging from the rear.

Sadly, a marshal died after being run over by a recovery truck:

 

[JohannaK]

That doesn't sound quite right.

 

[Formaldehyde]

What doesn't sound quite right? The vehicle has lousy rearward visibility, and they were likely rushing to get the car off the track to get the corner back to green.

 

[JohannaK]

No, I'm sure but that's the first time I ever hear of something like this, and its not a nice way to die.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

According to the report I read, the man dropped a walkie-talkie and was bending over to pick it up when he stumbled, and the vehicle's driver didn't notice until he was alerted by other marshals. The injured man was conscious at first, but his condition rapidly degraded and he was declared dead when he arrived at a hospital.

 

[JohannaK]

Awful incident.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Indeed.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Mark Webber no longer has to worry about standing starts.

Mark Webber will leave Red Bull and Formula 1 at the end of the season, switching to Porsche's new World Endurance Championship project.

The Australian made his F1 debut with Minardi in 2002 and has gone on to drive for Jaguar, Williams and Red Bull, taking nine victories to date.

His future at Red Bull had been the subject of much speculation after a public falling out with team-mate Sebastian Vettel over the "multi-21" saga at the Malaysian Grand Prix earlier this season. The World Champion defied team orders to pass Webber for the lead before going on to claim victory.

"It's an honour for me to join Porsche at its return to the top category in Le Mans and in the sports car World Endurance Championship and be part of the team. Porsche has written racing history as a manufacturer and stands for outstanding technology and performance at the highest level," Webber said.

"I'm very much looking forward to this new challenge after my time in Formula 1. Porsche will undoubtedly set itself very high goals. I can hardly wait to pilot one of the fastest sports cars in the world."

As for who could replace the 36-year-old at Red Bull, Sky Sports F1's David Croft feels Kimi Raikkonen is the favourite to partner Vettel. The Finn currently drives for Lotus, but his contract expires at the end of the season.

Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo, who both drive for Red Bull's 'junior' team Toro Rosso, will also be seen as candidates.

"Kimi Raikkonen has been talked about a lot probably because he is the best driver out of contract for next season and you can understand why people would put him together with Red Bull - after all they sponsored him during his rallying days with Citroen," Crofty said.

"He very much fits the brand and very much fits a team that want two drivers that can go out and win races. But Lotus I am sure would want to be keeping Kimi Raikkonen and let's face it, he is not exactly unhappy at Enstone at the moment - he might not be happy with the last couple of results, but he is not unhappy in general.

Mark Webber career stats

Races: 205
Wins: 9
Podiums: 36
Debut: Australia 2002
Teams: Minardi, Jaguar, Williams, Red Bull

"Of the Red Bull drivers coming up, Jean-Eric Vergne has started to get his qualifying sorted and is starting to put in some good results - Canada was his best ever result in Formula 1. Daniel Ricciardo is another very good driver who is showing better form this year as well and has shown consistently better form in qualifying and therefore in the races on a Sunday afternoon. Are they ready for a step up to the main team? Only Helmut Marko and Christian Horner really know the answer to that one.

"I would say they are both handicapped a bit by the fact that the Toro Rosso they are driving is not as competitive as the one Sebastian Vettel had when he was at the team - Vergne's result in Canada was the best for Toro Rosso since Vettel left them in 2008. But I do think they are both mighty fine drivers and if anyone has seen them in World Series by Renault of British F3 then you will know what I am talking about."

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner thanked Mark Webber for his contributions to the team over the past seven seasons.

"I am sure Mark thought long and hard before making what has no doubt been a very difficult decision," Horner said.

"His achievements in Formula 1 are extensive and I am sure he will continue to push hard and build on that record until the end of the season. We support Mark's decision, he has been an excellent addition to the team since joining us in 2007 and we wish him all the best in the next stages of his career."

Webber is known as a forthright character - an attribute appreciated by the media but not necessarily by Red Bull themselves.

His relationship with Vettel, who has won three world titles in the time they have been paired together, has, by and large, been fractious.

It deteriorated during the 2010 season and was on full view to the world at that year's Turkish Grand Prix, in which they collided whilst disputing the lead.

That season brought Webber's most serious title bid, however he ultimately lost out to Vettel, who became the sport's youngest ever World Champion aged 23.

The German has not been the only source of frustration for Webber, who has felt Vettel receives preferential treatment at Red Bull, in particular from team advisor Helmut Marko - seen as the representative of owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

Speaking on the podium after finishing second at Sepang, Webber said: "Seb made his own decisions today and will have protection and that's the way it goes."

Rumours of a move to sportscars with Porsche started soon after. Webber has raced in the category before, for Mercedes in 1998 and 1999.

So the silly season starts quite early in F1. I don't think there is much doubt that if the Kimster decides to go to Red Bull that he will get the seat. But if he doesn't, it means the tension will really be ratcheted up between Vergne and Riccardo to show their mettle the rest of the season, as well as other drivers in F1 who want to race in an Adrian Newey car.

It is also great news for sports car racing that Porsche will develop an LMP1 car.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

The competition between Vergne and Ricciardo continues to be very interesting to follow- it's very tricky to pick between the two. Of course, it's all academic if Raikkonen takes Webber's seat, which might leave an opening for Davide Valsecchi to get a spot with Lotus.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Also, rough luck for Paul Di Resta, coming in underweight after his amazing qualifying. Looks like it'll be another race where he'll have to recover from the back of the field.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Damn. He was screaming at the team after Monaco and Canada as it was.

I don't understand this:

The Scot's Force India was 1.5kg under the minimum weight limit after checks were completed and the matter was referred to stewards.

Force India blamed a discrepancy in Di Resta's weight after qualifying - driver and car count together.

Di Resta weighed less than expected on the FIA scales after qualifying but team boss Bob Fernley said that when he was weighed again later he was back to his normal weight.

First, they shouldn't be judging the weight so closely. 1.5kg is .2% of the combined weight. It simply doesn't make that much of a difference.

Second, how could Di Resta lose the weight then immediately gain it back?

 

[JohannaK]

Did he not weight with the helmet or something?

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Alas, I missed my 4:50 AM alarm and missed the Grand Prix. Seems like it was an interesting one. Pity that F1 management has no interest whatsoever in putting any races on the internet, or making them available in any other form.

 

[Formaldehyde]

They don't rerun the race where you live? You don't have a VCR or DVR? It is odd that they don't make the races available on the internet a week or so later, but I don't think any other professional sanctioning body does either.

It was an incredibly interesting and exciting race. Tires kept catastrophically failing for no apparent reason, and Vettel's gearbox apparently broke while he was comfortably in the lead. There were numerous late-race passes after the safety car bunched everybody up.

It must have been incredibly scary racing at the fastest F1 track while not knowing if your left rear tire might suddenly fail at the worst possible moment.