J i m Wrote:
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> Hamilton certainly beat Button, there's no denying
> that. I don't think he destroyed him though. When
> you consider the problems Button had with KERS and
> braking balance for most of the race, he only
> really lost out in the middle sector by about half
> a second perlap, obviously there aren't enough
> corners or length in s1 to lose out to, but his
> pace in s3 was brilliant, on a par with Hamilton
> and Alonso and significantly better than Webber
> and Massa. It was this strength in s3 that allowed
> to keep Webber out of the DRS zone for as long as
> he did.
>
> It also worth noting that Button's fastest lap was
> actually quicker than Hamilton's who was pushing
> hard at the time to secure P1 over Alonso, not a
> bad effort when you consider he didn't know what
> the brakes were going to do from corner to
> corner.
>
> It was probably the strongest team performance by
> McLaren since Barcelona, having both drivers being
> ultimately very strong, it also shows just how
> well Alonso did.
Yup! I think Lewis did fantastic to win, but I was more impressed with the drives from Alonso and Button. Jenson finished only 25 seconds behind, and sure toward the end Lewis was probably coasting, but he did call it one of the best races he's done which to me suggests he was pushing somewhat. Add in the time loss of racing Webber, and of course the effect of KERS and brake bias change (he was visibly cautious under braking!) then I think he drove a good race.. It certainly showed why Jenson is as strong as he is. He might not like a car that is not planted, and for raw pace he will probably lose out to many drivers, however even in an unpredictable car, over a race distance Button is as relentless as Alonso.
As for Alonso, well I knew the Ferrari would be stronger in the race, but never expected him to challenge Lewis! It has to be said only one driver has looked good all weekend, Lewis. Even Vettel looked like he struggled Friday... Alonso though just did what he does best, gets on with it.
Shame about Vettel going out like that. I have to believe it would have been quite a tight battle at the front with Vettel.... Suzuka style. Would Vettel have beat both Lewis and Alonso? Who knows ... probably!
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL