Car 1 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position: POLE POSITION, (3rd Practice – P1, 1:44.173)
“It was a strange feeling at the end of Q3. It’s already strange when you stand in the garage with only two minutes left in the session, but much worse when you see the others making their final attempt and there’s nothing you can do! I was watching the sector times closely with Romain, Nico and Mark in particular. Mark started with a purple time in sector one, then Nico went purple in sector two and then Romain, but fortunately my last sector was fast enough to just stay ahead. It’s a great feeling as it could have gone wrong, but I’m very happy with the result. The car has been phenomenal all weekend. Yesterday the gap to the front was a bit of a surprise, but today was a bit more what we expected with the Mercedes being so close.”
Car 2 MARK WEBBER, Position: 4th, (3rd Practice – P4, 1:44.906)
“I’m a bit disappointed to be fourth. It’s quite tight and there were some good lap times being set. It was hard to match Seb in the last sector; he’s always been strong in Turns 20 and 21. We’re on the second row, it would have been better to have been on the front row"
CHRISTIAN HORNER: “A really impressive performance from Sebastian today. Having been quick in P1 on the prime tyre, fast in Q2 on the softer tyre and setting an incredible first lap that put him 0.6 seconds clear in Q3, we elected to take a strategic approach to tomorrow and not do the second run to save a new set of soft tyres. In the end it was very tight with Nico, but once you’ve made your decision you’re committed. Mark was tremendously quick in Q1 on the harder tyres, which he’s been fast on all weekend. He progressed through Q2 with no issue and in Q3, despite going purple in the first sector, he just missed out on the clean side of the grid. But, nonetheless first and fourth is a great place to start tomorrow’s race.”
(Renault) THIERRY SALVI: “Sebastian took a risk sitting out the last lap, but nevertheless got pole doing only one run in Q3! The car was strong today and has worked particularly well on this city track, which features a lot of low speed corners where drivability and engine response are key. Pole in Singapore is very important on a track where overtaking is difficult.”
To be fair the 10 place penalty is because this is his 3rd reprimand this year. The stewards were probably being more strict as there was an accident on the slowing down lap of the GP2 race earlier.
Sadly a reprimand was always on the cards.
Watching the onboard speedo, Alonso hit 105kph at one stage. Imagine sitting on the sill, hanging out the window of a car at that speed. No thanks.
However, I was concerned as I was watching it that it was going to be frowned upon, as I thought it was against the regulations to do this (I realise that they were more concerned about Webber jumping onto the track than the tax ride itself).
Looking more and more likely that Webber is going to remain as a nine-hit wonder after writing off his chances in Korea.
It would be fitting ending for him to clock up win # 10 in Brazil, though.
Webber picked up his first reprimand at the Bahrain GP in April after a collision with Nico Rosberg during the race, while his second came in Practice One in Canada for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags.
Seems tough, but Mark should have been aware of the risk. As soon as I saw him hop onto Alonso's car I said to my son that he would get a penalty (although I said he would probably get a fine and not really care about paying it.)
Maybe we'll see one of Webber's strong "red mist" drives in Korea.
www.racingbulls.net
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:09:23:08:58:45 by growler.
According to Autosport, Mark didn't just not get permission from marshalls to enter the track as he was supposed to, but he specifically ignored them when he was told not to. Penalty fully deserved.
All ifs and maybes, but it would only take Nico or Lewis to be crowd gazing or looking at the steering wheel, and it could have been very different.
Aunties and uncles.....
Btw, Horner says booing Vettel is unsporting. I agree, but no less sporting than what he did on track in Malaysia. There's a fair chance the boo's wouldn't be so loud if he hadn't done it. The legacy of that will stick a while, then people will forget what they are booing about, and do it anyway. It's boorish, uneducated behavior, which he brought upon himself.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:09:23:17:14:42 by Flasheart.
I feel a bit sorry for Vets to be honest. He makes out like he doesn't care but you can see it's getting to him. Still, a lesson learned maybe? Or maybe not.
The booing is pathetic, borne out of the masses stupid need for there to be a villain. This is what happens when entertainment has been put forward ahead of the sport for years at a time, the lowest denominator of imbecile begins to take a foothold.
Malaysia is a rubbish excuse for it, the problem is that he's dominating, and that he's beating people with large fan bases.
If the roles had been reversed in Malaysia Mark would've been cheered, because it fits the narrative that the sheeple are going along with.
You can't blame anyone but the opposition for that though can you? Red Bull is just a bunch of people pushing hard. Do we suggest they should back off for the good of the sport. I reckon it's so hard to get in the position they are in that they should milk it for all it's worth.
Who knows? Next year the Renault could be a dog and they could be mid-field behind all the Merc and Ferrari cars. Unlikely but possible. There are a few people on the grid who can take it to Vettel but until Ferrari and Merc come up with a faster car, they don't have the equipment to do it.
By the way, who is it booing? I got the impression in Singapore that is was Ferrari fans rather than a general thing.
I think the media coverage of booing makes it self perpetuating. I think that by and large its pantomime stuff - people aren't booing with real malice - they're doing it with a smile on their face (figuratively, as it is hard to actually smile and boo at the same time).
Yeah if people were booing villains then why aren't they booing Hamilton and Alonso? Both have done "worse" than anything Seb has, it's just that he's winning and beating their boys.
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