The Official 2014 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix ***SPOILERS***

When I think about it, it's not a surprise Ferrari are going backwards. We know their engine isn't anywhere near the Mercedes (hence most of the complaining about anything related to the new rules, along with Renault-powered teams), and we've been at two tracks where high power is important - lots of acceleration zones and relatively long straights.

The McLaren situation is more worrying. They do have the best engine, but they're being overran by Ferrari and Renault teams. Magnussen has had a couple of very underwhelming events (Perez was closer to Button than this) and Button hasn't been great. He harboured ambitious dreams of a podium here, but he was never, ever close. They're a good team with good resources (compared to most) but they seem lost. If you gave them a Renault engine they'd probably be behind Lotus, battling Caterham and Marussia and flipping Saubers into the air.

Really a great race, I enjoyed it a lot. More of that please
The difference between the tyre compounds was a lot smaller than I expected, it helped the racing, though. Also I think some teams were relieved when the safety car came out. A few drivers had to pit for the 2nd time some laps before the halfway point and would have needed some serious tyre management towards the end.

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used to be GPGSL's Nick Heidfeld

Pat on the back to Paddy Lowe (in fact all of the Mercedes prat perch), because if I was them I would've ordered a stop to the fight a long LONG time ago!!

It was also great to see Lewis and Nico being good humoured about it, when they got out of their cars. I half expected them to be frosty afterwards.

Top notch driving from everyone... well, except for a certain Pasta. Surprise surprise. I know Guitierrez wasn't hurt, but I did think it was quite bad how he was left sitting in the car by himself for so long, when he should have had people checking up on him. (PS, why is everyone blaming it on the low nose? What's that got to do with it? They touched tyres and boom, Bob's your uncle)

Poor Hulk must be wondering what he's got to do to get a podium... one day he will. He's got to.

Also... regarding Bianchi. He's been given a penalty for his collision with Sutil. But, I thought he got the pucture while he was turning in to the corner, which MADE him go into Sutil. Might have to check that one again...

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You know you want to. [judgegrudge.mybrute.com]




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2014 02:57AM by flat tyre.

gav Wrote:
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> (Perez was
> closer to Button than this) and Button hasn't been
> great.

Bullshit. K-mag is 23 to 20 down in the points, on par for finishing first, and 2 for 1 up on the qualifying (4-11, 8-10, 9-7). Perez never managed something like that, and he had 2 full F1 seasons before he joined McLaren. K-mag only had a few days of testing before signing the contract. The only reason he is not ahead on points is the stupid penalty in Malaysia.

For some reason, Raikonnen had the right to lose control of the car, and then retake the ideal line without looking in the mirrors. We had the exact same situation happening several times in Bahrain where the lead car respected the car trying to take advantage of the situation. You cannot just lose control of the car, slam the door mid corner, not check your mirrors and then cry foul.

I cannot believe that K-mag got two points on his license for what was argueably Raikonnens fault, and Maldonando gets 3 points for his antics today! That makes no sense at all.

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It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2014 05:15AM by Morbid.

Kevin had a gear box problem the whole race, they thought that had fixed it but had not.

Mclaren have lost their way as they have a new guy and a solid number 2 driver, they need a no1 driver. I really do think this will be Buttons last year there.

Williams were a real let down this weekend, had they done more running they would have sorted the tyre wear issue out and not find out about it in the race.

The fight at the front was fantastic, not seen racing like that in years. I really did think that Nico was going to win but Lewis just never ever gave up, credit to both of them for how they raced. Brawn would never have alowed that.

One of the best races for a very long time.

Fair enough if that's the case Marc.

Did I strike your patriotic nerve there Morbid?

No, actually you didn't. And it would be Nationalism and not Patriotism, and even if it was, you Brits should be the last people on the planet to point fingers when it comes to motor sport.

Everybody and their grandmother here watches F1 now and has something to say about it that they think is important. They know nothing. We are awash in garbage articles written journalists that have never watched a race in their life. I am sick of it. But it does not change that what you wrote flies in the face of the stats.

I watched the Sky coverage of qually, and one of the commentators said that Button had MiniMag well under control. At that point Button was at least 2 places down on MiniMag, and I was like "wtf?!" To me, it seems you brits are blind to what is actually going on. For a rookie that had a couple of hundred kilometers under his belt, Button is no where near having him under control. Remember, when Lewis joined he had well over 30.000 kilometers of testing done. The difference in allowed rookie experience in the new Formula 1 is vast. But that also means that the potential for growth is equally larger compared to what you see in the first couple of races.

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It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.

I'm not getting into a war about dictionaries and @#$%& because a) I haven't got the time, b) I really don't have the energy to feed you and c) I can't be arsed.

My last word on the subject (until I next have a beer probably) is that is that time will tell, Magnussen is (statistically) essentially on par with Button in the points, has been behind Button in 2 of the 3 races (for whatever reasons), but has a very promising career ahead of him and I wish him well because I do like what I've seen of him off the track.

Yes... when you are confronted with posting something that is in error, and you react by pawing it off as patriotism, and it is then demonstrated that you are in error, then I am a troll... right.

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It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.

Morbid Wrote:
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> I cannot believe that K-mag got two points on his
> license for what was argueably Raikonnens fault,
> and Maldonando gets 3 points for his antics today!
> That makes no sense at all.

However, Maldonado also got 5-place grid penalty and a 10-second stop-go. Magnussen was only given a 5 second stop-go and 2 points, for an accident he admits was his fault and he admits ruined kimi's race. To be honest I think that's fair, he essentially got half the punishment, and taking in to a account he is a rookie, that's fair. Maldonado should of perhaps got more points, but I don't know if there is a maximum they can give?

Admittance does nothing to affect objectivity, it only speaks of the political situation. What is at the heart of the matter is this: can you hold the ideal line, then lose control of the car and slide completely off the ideal line, and then retake it without checking mirrors and without respect for any car that might have tried to take advantage of your error? I think not. To quote Ayrton Senna:

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By being a racing driver you are under risk all the time. By being a racing driver means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver [...]

Kimi brought the situation on himself, and he lost the right to the ideal line. Whatever damaged he suffered from slamming the door was his own fault. He didn't have the right to retake the ideal line without abandon.

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It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.

Via Motorsport.com: Mercedes drivers already getting competitive as a "document" helps Rosberg catch up in Bahrain

To be fair, Mercedes want to have two WDC winning drivers in their team - who doesn't (even more attractive for sponsors etc)? Check Ferrari in 2014 and (in 2007 as well as 2010-2012) McLaren

reagrding Maldonado:

in my opinion people put too much a blame on hi. YES, he crashed Guttierez, and I am sorry to see what happened to Guttierez. However, no one took attention the following two facts:

1. pastor left enough space for gutierez to make the corner. Guttierez could have easily avoided the accident by leaving just a little bit more space on the inside line. What he did is just slam the door (a bit like barrichello did to montoya in USA 2003 - not exactly but similar in a way). where could pastor go?


2. guttierez had much clearer vision of what is happening in this moment. He is coming from behind and saw maldonado going out of the pit lane. However, maldonado drives UPhill out of the pit, and to be fair, it is much more difficult to see car approaching with +330 km/h, than it is to see a car exiting the pit lane. a bit like schumacher did to frentzen in 1999 - not quite, just a bit like it.

He saw Maldonado coming from the pitlane, but he easily overtakes him, then starts braking. Without having the benefit of mirrors (Maldonado is miles outside of the point where he can be seen), Gutierrez has to think it's reasonable to assume that Maldonado is comfortably behind him. Gutierrez's only fault was running in a touch hot.

Other than a deliberate move from the guy in front, it is nearly always up to the guy behind to avoid an accident. He can see what's developing and take action to ensure a collision is avoided. It's been an unwritten rule in motorsport for decades (heck, it might even be written, I don't know).

Even the most charitable observations on that accident would have to conclude that Maldonado was almost completely to blame. At best it was a severely clumsy bit of driving. At worst it was willfully ignorant.

It's a shame.. because several drivers proved that day that it's possible to have thrilling knife edge, wheel to wheel racing, without driving like prat and putting your opponent at risk.

Maldonaldo put his car into a gap which effectively wasn't there, and was always going to disappear. And then almost reacted surprised when the car cleary head turned into the corner.

At least Bottas took avoidance action on his brain fade moment.

ahh, ok I agree

i guess i will be ripped apart if I tried to defend maldonado again :D Hehe.


anyway, I just wanted to share my view and hear yours.

i know you will disagree. but just watched the BBC coverage and D.C. described the accident beetweenmaldonado and guttierez as "a racing accident"

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mitadumapaga
i know you will disagree. but just watched the BBC coverage and D.C. described the accident beetweenmaldonado and guttierez as "a racing accident"

That the same guy who nearly wrecked his team-mate's championship challenge in nearly identical circumstances, and whose last race was finished in a similar way? Just checking.

fair point

"Racing accident" is a fairly loose way of describing it.

Yes, they were racing (kind of) and yes it was an accident, but it was still really stupid all the same.

Clearly it can't be Maldonaldo's fault though... I mean surely someone sabotaged his tyre pressures right?





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2014 05:47PM by J i m.