British Grand Prix

[kfzmeister]

They were a little bit fortunate too. Vettel was something around 10 seconds behind the Williams pair, and that extra 10 seconds to decide whether to pit was quite beneficial since it was just when the weather was turning.

I had heard that fact as well by an F1 Analyst after the race. Ferrari was actually in a good situation by being behind and watching what the front runners were doing. Turns out that one call they made did not work out well at all, and another one happened to do the trick. It would not have taken much and a Russian in a RB very likely should have been on the podium!

[Nitrodaze]

They were a little bit fortunate too. Vettel was something around 10 seconds behind the Williams pair, and that extra 10 seconds to decide whether to pit was quite beneficial since it was just when the weather was turning.

The 10 seconds deficit of Vettel really underline how Williams dropped the ball, even with a car not set up for the wet, they could have tried taking some risks by splitting the strategies by pitting Bottas when Hamilton pitted to release him from Massa. Chance are that the Ferrari would have overtaken the Williams cars anyway as the Ferrari of Vettel was working brilliantly in the wet compared to the Williams. Nonetheless, they would have made it harder for Vettel and may have had one of their cars ahead at the end of the race.

[AndyL]

The 10 seconds deficit of Vettel really underline how Williams dropped the ball, even with a car not set up for the wet, they could have tried taking some risks by splitting the strategies by pitting Bottas when Hamilton pitted to release him from Massa.

I agree, they should have split strategies at that point. Of the various strategy mistakes that can be seen in retrospect, that's the one that they should have avoided I think. Splitting strategies means one driver will end up feeling hard-done-by though, and they seem fixated on avoiding anything that might be seen as unfair treatment.

[Bagwan]

I agree, they should have split strategies at that point. Of the various strategy mistakes that can be seen in retrospect, that's the one that they should have avoided I think. Splitting strategies means one driver will end up feeling hard-done-by though, and they seem fixated on avoiding anything that might be seen as unfair treatment.

Yup .
Felipe will implode if he sniffs any favouritism for his team mate .

"Felipe , Valteri is faster than you ." would be all fragile "Felipe baby" hears .

[Nitrodaze]

Yup .
Felipe will implode if he sniffs any favouritism for his team mate .

"Felipe , Valteri is faster than you ." would be all fragile "Felipe baby" hears .

Yup .
Felipe will implode if he sniffs any favouritism for his team mate .

"Felipe , Valteri is faster than you ." would be all fragile "Felipe baby" hears .

I was sure l heard Rod Smedley choking at the thought of that [Felipe, Bottas is faster than you]. Ferrari split theirs and it paid off handsomely, but did Kimi no favours. It is a hard call, but that is racing. You just have to take chances sometimes and see what the dice turns up.
Of Course, if they got it horribly wrong, they would be heavily criticized as usual for taking risk. There is no easy decision, just luck and a stiff upper lip.

[journeyman racer]

That was a remarkable few laps from Rosberg, til Hamilton pitted. There was no explanation for that. I'd be interested to see if he could produce a similar performance, relative to Hamilton, in similar circumstances. The problem is is that it's highly unlikely you get that degree of precipitation on the track for any serious length of time.

Does anybody have any explanation of Rosberg's speed prior to Hamilton's stop? Those were the exact conditions where a driver's supposed ability comes to the fore.

[Nitrodaze]

Does anybody have any explanation of Rosberg's speed prior to Hamilton's stop? Those were the exact conditions where a driver's supposed ability comes to the fore.

Actually, Rosberg was disappointing at the Silverstone. His charge was belated. He didn't take the fight to Lewis at all. He could have prevented the gap from existing in the first place by sticking with Lewis as he forged his way forward past Bottas and Massa. He had a sniff at passing Bottas and he could not pull it off in a similar situation to lewis who pulled his off. He was only able to pass the williams when they had problems in the wet. Not by pure race determination to break through. He drove a race of waiting for opportunities to come to him rather than make it happen which is a mark of a true champion. That is why Vettel is special, making a disadvantage of 8th position into a podium of 3rd.That is why Hamilton is special, making 3rd into 1st.

[journeyman racer]

Vettel benefittd from a fortunately timed stop. Rosberg caught up 1.5-2 seconds a lap when the conditions were at their most compromising. That explanation is a fail.

[Nitrodaze]

Vettel benefittd from a fortunately timed stop.

Being able to read the race and take the sort of actions that is a game changer that exploits the changing situation and redefine what is attainable is a mark of a true champion. That is what separates Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso from the rest of the grid.
Vettels moving from 8th to 3rd was not simply fortuitous, it was calculated and executed with determination. Not something to be belittled. I like Rosberg, but to be objective, he did not bring about a worthy challenge which most of us were hoping to see.

[journeyman racer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I just wanted to know why Rosberg was able to catch up to Hamilton at an abnormal rate, when conditions meant the driver contributed most to performance. Not everything other than that.