Well not the most exciting race of the year again,
which I appear to be saying a lot lately.
There's a sort of inevitable feeling to all of this
now, like we've been here before, with Michael and those Ferrari years. Remember
that feeling, whatever the others do it’s just not going to stop one team from
dominating the championship for the foreseeable future ?
Well that’s how I'm starting feel now.
The press gang are of the one thought that Vettel
has a nailed on contract with Ferrari for 2014 ... given how Redbull and more importantly
Adrian Newey have turned this season around, you have to think that’s a bit of
a stupid move. Not as stupid as Hamilton going to Mercedes is. But pretty
stupid all the same, if it’s true of course.
For a change it was Webber turn to be on pole, as
everyone else played catch up to the Redbulls. The McLarens still looked like
they had the same broken suspension they had in Japan bolted onto the back of Hamilton’s
car and Ferrari, though fast, weren't fast enough.
The Redbull machine was on song and duly delivered
a second front row lockout.
Lewis third up as Jenson failed to make the grade
in Q2 and Alonso kept them all honest after almost missing the cut in Q1. Come
Sunday it was just a case of who was going to get into turn one first and win
the race, Webber from pole or Vettel ?
It turned out that Vettel had the better start line
software and won the race by turn one.
Alonso jumped past Hamilton and tried to take the
fight to the Redbulls
Grosjean
managed to miss everyone and it was the turn of Kobayashi to pile into the back
of the pack when he failed to spot the trend in the cars ahead to slow down for
turn three. He drove into Jenson’s right rear wheel, then into Nico left side,
then back over Jenson's right front wheel and off the circuit. Jenson and Nico
stopped after less than 100 years, Kobayashi made it back to the pits for some
running repairs and a few more laps, before he too called it a day. If things
were chilly at work over his contract before, now they will be positively Antarctic.
The rest of the race was about tyres and how long
they would last. Hamilton found his didn't last long enough; Perez tried to
impress McLaren by driving forever in one set and failing. It was a bit of a
cat and mouse game as teams tried to have the driver with the most life left in
their tyres when the chequered flag dropped.
Hamilton who had yet more rear suspension issues
this race found himself at the poor man’s end of the top ten fighting the Toro
Rosso of Vergne and Ricciardo for eighth, ninth and tenth. He had fresher tyres
but couldn't get enough grip with a broken rear roll bar. He fought valiantly
but all to no avail. A comedy McLaren "sticky wheel nut" pit stop
didn't help. Nor did the astro turf on turn 13 which wasn't stuck down with
enough glue and attacked the hapless McLaren driver with 4 laps to go. What had
looked like a safe, if disappointing 10th at the end, was made into a desperate
drive for the line as Perez almost caught a Lewis who was dragging 20lbs of
fuzzy green matting around with him.
As Vettel cruised around, the pits to car radio
kept crackling into life to tell the German that his front right was looking
less and less likely to make the end of the race. With a gap to Webber of
around 10 seconds he wasn't in too much danger, maybe it was a bit of showboating by Redbull to make it look like the others had a chance. Vettel slowed
down and didn't get his customary fastest lap. That was left for Webber on his
last lap to show that he could have won if he'd wanted too, but he was too cool
for that sort of thing.
And that was the race, it rather looks like Vettel
and the Redbull just have to turn up to each race and the season is going to be
theirs I'm afraid. The McLaren drivers are out of the hunt now and maybe Kimi
could, if the Redbulls failed to finish every race, win I suppose. But it’s not
going to happen is it ?
Vettel wins then, nice and easy
Webber second, lost it off the line and didn’t really look
like beating his team mate any time soon
Alonso finally gets to finish a race, but loses the lead in
the championship. I don’t think he’s going to get it back given how well the Redbulls
are going now. But this is Alonso and
you can never count him out until the final flag of the final race. But Ferrari
is going to have to pull something special out of the bag here.
Massa fourth and pretty much confirms his contract for 2013.
Again he’s here on merit and shows that the Ferrari isn’t a bad car. In point
of fact he was coming back at the Redbulls until he was told stop to crowding
the talent and stay behind Alonso. Some
things just never change.
Raikkonen fifth, he’s still third in the title hunt but i
can’t see him win the races he needs to claim the silverware. Still you have to
admire his achievement. Schumacher came back after his time off for good behaviour
and was rubbish. Kimi meanwhile has come back from driving into trees and walls
on the WRC trail and here he is in third with a good solid points scoring
championship year. Not too shabby
really.
Hulkenberg was sixth with nothing too exciting, he did the
best with what he had and once again beats Di Resta in the “I'm worthy of the
Sauber seat next year chaps” game. Bear in mind that the owner of Force India
Vijay Mallya is currently on the run after an arrest warrant was issued and his
fleet of Kingfisher airliners were grounded. Apparently he’s been paying the
bills with rubber cheques, and the owners of Hyderabad international airport
are not amused. I don’t think he’s going to turn up to the India Grand prix in
two weeks time seeing as he didn’t turn up to court as summon last week. What
this means for the team is anyone’s guess, but I
bet Di Resta and the Hulk are frantically calling Sauber when they’re not in the
car.
Grosjean was seventh and hurrah he didn’t hit anyone. Well
done to him, keep up the good work lad.
Vergne has a career best eighth and showed that the Toro
Rosso’s are finally up to speed, Mercedes had better watch out ! Vergne came
under a bit of pressure from Hamilton towards the end, but kept his head and
kept it on the grey stuff.
Ricciardo in the other Toro Rosso was ninth and didn’t quite
have the tyres to stop Vergne looking the better bet for a contract
continuation next year.
Tenth and the last paying point for Hamilton, who must be
counting down the days until his contract with McLaren expires; another broken
car, yet another wheel nut not going on properly, another set up issue, pulled
a qualifying lap out of the blue and failed again to turn that into a
challenge. He was still as feisty as ever, making Kimi work for his points. But
he looked like a sitting duck for most of the race and really, really must be
wishing it would just all end soon. All in all then, a week to forget for
Lewis.
So then, last place driver was Karthikeyan this time a mere
two laps behind the leader. Webber got the fastest laps on the last lap of the
race, no tyre issues for him then.
We’re off to Indian next, which is another soulless track in
the middle of an industrial estate. It didn’t look all the interesting last
year as I recall, its a 9.30am kick off so you won’t have to get up early at
least.
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