F1 2013 Season

[Revhard]

I'm hoping Mercedes can make good with their driver choices and some good grip/reliability, but it's too soon. If Brawn can pull it off again, it would be great.
Red Bull continues to have great grip/downforce. I wonder if that was part of the problem with the tires towards the end of the season? Vettel should be great again, just would like to see him come from the back a little more when they don't qualify. He really only did it once last year.
I've always liked Button, just not sure if he's got his best years ahead of him.
Who am I going to make fun of now that Schumi is gone...?

[cycosis]

^Grosjean?

[Kramerica]

Originally posted by cycosis
^Grosjean?

Either him or maldonado, both are more or less on the chopping block unless they deliver results this season.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Mibz
I'm trying to prepare myself for the worst this weekend. So nervous.

Yup. I'm expecting to be pissed. RBR was the only team that I had no idea what their pace looks like during winter testing. Everyone else was pretty dead-on with my predictions, with the exception of McLaren. They looked WAY worse today than I thought they would.

Where's EK 2.0 Vettel superfan to rub it in our faces? Oh wait, he won't know about it till the race results hits the news on Monday.

[phreezee]

Woot, watching P1 now.... pumped!

[phreezee]

RBR/Vettel look dominant. Fast and good on tires.

Massa is keeping his form from the end of last season.

Edit: Finished P2, not a good sign with both Mercedes not finsihing FP2.

[diamondedge]

Q2 and Q3 running tomorrow after the rain delays. Not sure if Rosberg has the speed if it's dry tomorrow.

[Kramerica]

From http://www.f1times.co.uk

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh is certain they can develop the MP4-28 into a winner, but he admitted reverting to the MP4-27 was a possibility - but not a decision they'd be taking anytime soon.

"It's possible [to go back to the MP4-27] but at the moment I think the best thing for us to do is to work and understand this car," he said.

"I think we've got to gather the data and I'm sure we can develop this car and the aim is to give ourselves the ability to develop this car throughout the whole year.

"That's the thing about Formula 1 now, the season's incredibly long, if you're going to win races and championships you have to be able to develop the car over the course of the year and we've given ourselves the scope to be able to do that."

He believes had they stuck with the MP4-27 and evolved it over the winter, similar to what their main rivals have done, they would be in better position.

"Probably if we had stuck with the original concept of last year's car we would be stronger here today. But we made a decision, we'll now work through this and I'm sure we have a car that has more potential than the one we had last year."

I think heads may roll at Mclaren, I heard Whitmarsh during FP2 and I don't think I've seen him be so frank about having fucked up ever.

[Penguin_Racecar]

Redbull 1-2 to start the season. Looks like Mercedes does in fact have pace also.

[rage2]

I predicted the Mercedes pace throughout winter testing, while everyone wrote them off as low fuel showboating. Even their long runs look good, with only Lotus looking slightly better. I had no idea where RBR was though as they never did a proper run during winter, so this is the first time I think anyone's seen the true pace of the RBR.

MB AMG are the only ones that can stop the Red Bull show at the beginning of this season, and they need to be absolutely perfect during a race to do it. Reliability, pitwork, strategy, not exactly strong points of MB AMG last year.

McLaren, once again, proves that they're as fun to cheer for as the Flames haha.

[Kramerica]

Originally posted by rage2
McLaren, once again, proves that they're as fun to cheer for as the Flames haha.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out why they changed Perez onto supersofts a second time. Even if there was a problem with the first set it was pretty clear they weren't working at that point.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Kramerica


For the life of me I couldn't figure out why they changed Perez onto supersofts a second time. Even if there was a problem with the first set it was pretty clear they weren't working at that point.

Act of desperation. They wanted to put both cars on different strategies so at least 1 would make Q3, at least, that's my theory. It made absolutely no sense, however, because there was no way that track was going to expose any dry line in 4 mins. It took 1/2 of Q3 running on intermediates to dry the track enough for supersofts.

[GTS4tw]

Here we go... hopefully Ferrari can pull it together and Massa doesn't shit the bed too badly.

[That.Guy.S30]

Go Iceman!

[Kramerica]

Totally didn't see that coming. Go kimi!

On a sidenote I'm overly convinced that red bull do something to webber's car at the start. He just bleeds places and if it was his reaction time causing it I doubt he could even get past Q1 much less end up qualifying second.

[rage2]

I'm just glad RBR didn't win. Fucking McLaren.

[Mibz]

Went about as well as I could have hoped. Wanted to see Perez pip Grosjean for the last point, but oh well.

Kimi won, RBR didn't. I'd be okay with that finish for the rest of the year.

Now, let's talk about those super softs. What other races use them? Can Pirelli change them mid-year or is there a chance we might not see them again?

Sutil goes, what, 25 laps, full of fuel on a set of mediums but can't manage 5 laps at the end of the race on a set of SS? That's fucked up. Even the quali tires looked like they were at the end of their life, that's 2-3 laps with next to no fuel. And nobody was even that quick on them. It's not like you can pound out a few laps 3 seconds faster than anybody. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw people in Q3 just running a time on primes so they can save the SS for the last stint.

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by rage2

Where's EK 2.0 Vettel superfan to rub it in our faces? Oh wait, he won't know about it till the race results hits the news on Monday.

I'm right here...

And I wouldn't rub it in anyone's faces I never have before I don't think haha...

That being said...Too bad Webber got a poor start at the beginning...Sutil, as much as I don't like him only for his personal life choices haha...he drove well fending off the Red Bull and the Ferrari for that long of a stint...Also being brown I HAD to be proud of my little Indian team haha...

Great drive by Kimi and Lotus like usual he drove calm and cool and deserved his win...

Of course I am happy that Vettel got a podium, but in all honesty wasn't expecting it about 2/3's of the way through the race...

[That.Guy.S30]

Webber always gets a poor start, nothing new.

[asp integra]

gawd damn i think that lotus is one of the best looking automobiles of all time, nice race kimi!