Formula 1 - 2011 Season

[GMâ„¢]

Nothing surprising about Alonso really. They compromised their race badly by running a soft tyre for every stint in Qualifying. The only thing surprising was Alonsos spectacular start and how he was able to stay out at front, though the DRS zone was useless and the Ferrari was quicker on the straights compared to the Redbull.

As for Kers & Redbull. Everyone is talking about how Vettel didn't have Kers. Did Webber have Kers? I never got the impression he had and every in-car footage of Webber (not that there were many) he always had a full bar AFAIK?

Both Redbull cars have intermittent issues with their KERS system, which are a result of how it is being packaged within the car which is causing overheating, but I am 100% sure I saw both drivers using it throughout the race although no where near as extensively as the McLarens.

Although Vettel has won 5/6 races I don't find it boring in the slightest. I have been watching F1 for decades and I got used to having a nap half way through the race. Now with the tyre wear issues, KERS and DRS I am glued to the screen from start to finish.

I am an unashamed McLaren fanboy, but Vettel deserves the wins, he is consistently fast throughout the weekend and seems to be learning to stay calm under pressure. I do wish he would stop wagging his finger at the camera though, very annoying! Both Vettel and Hamilton deserve driver of the day as both finished far, far ahead from the rest of the field, with some important overtakes through the pack. My heart was in my mouth for the last 20 laps, just brilliant!

Fantastic start for Alonso too, using his KERS allocation before the first corner. I have watched the replay ten times and I still cant believe how quick his reactions are. What an amazing driver. I would have loved to have been at turn one to hear the fans roaring!

Roll on Monaco!

 

[Phil]

That does bring me back to the DRS. I can't help wonder why they put the DRS activation zone where they did. At that point, the cars were already close to their top speed, so activating the DRS was a marginal gain in acceleration to the limiter. Surely that wasn't the point of DRS?

Not that Turkey was anything optimal, but I'm not sure this was either. On the other hand, it did produce a very exciting race. If the DRS zone had given a larger gain, Alonso may not have been able to keep Vettel/Webber behind for so long, which would have changed the race quite a bit.

There is one huge flaw in the system though: It's wrong for a frontrunner to be able to use DRS when being within a second of a backmarker. On the straight, where the DRS can be deployed, a backmarker will *never* be an issue anyway, as they have to make room.

 

[Bludd]

That does bring me back to the DRS. I can't help wonder why they put the DRS activation zone where they did. At that point, the cars were already close to their top speed, so activating the DRS was a marginal gain in acceleration to the limiter. Surely that wasn't the point of DRS?

Not that Turkey was anything optimal, but I'm not sure this was either. On the other hand, it did produce a very exciting race. If the DRS zone had given a larger gain, Alonso may not have been able to keep Vettel/Webber behind for so long, which would have changed the race quite a bit.

There is one huge flaw in the system though: It's wrong for a frontrunner to be able to use DRS when being within a second of a backmarker. On the straight, where the DRS can be deployed, a backmarker will *never* be an issue anyway, as they have to make room.

There's only one straight at Catalunya and they couldn't have had the DRS activation in the corner because that would only advantage Red Bull who could actually use it there.

Race was exciting, but the wrong man won for the good of the championship.

Monaco will be interesting, because tyres will produce passing opportunities.

 

[Phil]

There's only one straight at Catalunya and they couldn't have had the DRS activation in the corner because that would only advantage Red Bull who could actually use it there.

Sorry should have been clearer: At Catalunya, the DRS activation line was around a 3rd to half-way down the straight. To make it more effective, they should have moved it closer to the last corner on that straight, but not in the corner.

 

[Bludd]

Sorry should have been clearer: At Catalunya, the DRS activation line was around a 3rd to half-way down the straight. To make it more effective, they should have moved it closer to the last corner on that straight, but not in the corner.

Ah, I get you. Problem is that it was already the longest zone yet and they obviously thought it would work because of that. I am sure they will tweak it and as you know, there will be dual activation zones in Canada and Valencia.

 

[DJ12]

Alonso had a truly special start, but Vettel was unstoppable

Wouldn't say he was unstoppable, if McLaren hadn't lost 2 seconds (a second a stop) to Red Bull in the last 2 stops who knows what would've happened.

I think we are back to last year now, Red Bull using some trick in qualifying, but are pretty even with regard to race pace with McLaren.

 

[Bludd]

Wouldn't say he was unstoppable, if McLaren hadn't lost 2 seconds (a second a stop) to Red Bull in the last 2 stops who knows what would've happened.

I think we are back to last year now, Red Bull using some trick in qualifying, but are pretty even with regard to race pace with McLaren.

I hope you are right, I want to see fighting for the win, but I most of all want to see someone else win this year too.

 

[Kaotik]

I think we are back to last year now, Red Bull using some trick in qualifying, but are pretty even with regard to race pace with McLaren.

Once Red Bull gets their KERS running trouble free, they'll be once again further ahead, Vettel did this qualifying without it completely, and it was broken half the race, including when Hamilton was behind him in the last few laps (excluding apparently one lap where it worked for a while)

 

[Phil]

Does make you wonder how quick that car is, to be that quick even without KERS...

 

[DJ12]

Once Red Bull gets their KERS running trouble free, they'll be once again further ahead, Vettel did this qualifying without it completely, and it was broken half the race, including when Hamilton was behind him in the last few laps (excluding apparently one lap where it worked for a while)

You assume KERS is all win.

If it was Webber would be outqualifying Vettel or being generally faster during the race when Vettels KERS stops working (Don't forget the "experts" will have us believe it's worth half a second a lap) but that isn't the case at all.

Red Bull only bother with KERS because if they didn't they would be sitting ducks on the straights, but the car with KERS and without would produce near identical lap times.

Mike Gascoyne said as much when asked by Brundle during the Malasian GP.

Also Vettels KERS was working the entire race, they told him not to use it becuase, I assume, it was overheating and from about 10 laps to go told him to start using it again, which he did many times especially on the start/finish straight.

 

[Bludd]

KERS is important off the line, though.

DJ12, they also said to Vettel that he should use everything at once or something, and one time they said "use 45% immediately over the line."

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Wasnt that because the RBR lacks a bit of straight line speed?

Anyway I think everybody agrees kers makes a car faster in the end. Obviously, since the RBR seems to have a fair margin over the other cars most of the time they can get away with not having it/it not working because the rest of the package makes up for it. But if others manage to get closer they will need it because it just makes the car faster. And even if it doesn't make much of a difference in speed, it will be usefull of the line and it could help overtaking too.

 

[Bludd]

It is important to remember that this year the minimum weight was increased and the weight distribution is more fixed so now KERS is much more of a no-brainer. In 2009 it was arguably a handicap.

 

[DJ12]

KERS is important off the line, though.

DJ12, they also said to Vettel that he should use everything at once or something, and one time they said "use 45% immediately over the line."

Yeah, so he could use 55% in the last corner to start finish straight and then 45% to continue holding off Hamilton down the rest of the straight.

DRS really didn't work so it was a good idea for them to do this.

 

[Bludd]

Pat Fry replaces Aldo Costa at Ferrari. This must be some of the reason of Alonso's long contract.

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/ferrari-drops-costa/

 

[Phil]

Anyway I think everybody agrees kers makes a car faster in the end.

I think the important difference here between Redbull and the other teams is that the Redbull has been optimized without KERS. Newey is an outspoken critic of KERS and as such, the team is trying to find away to fit in KERS without compromising the advantage the car already holds. While they [Redbull] know that KERS is necessary to keep their momentum in the long run, it's clearly been tricky packaging it in.

Because of that, I'm pretty certain KERS in the Redbull is not as advantegous as say in the McLaren.

Once Redbull gets their KERS working correctly, I'm sure they'll be quicker, but maybe not without a compromise in some area making it a lesser advantage than it may seem.

 

[Bludd]

I am looking forward to seeing the off-throttle engine maps for EBD banned, for one it'll make the sound nicer again. It's been all blurpy and horrible for quite a while now. The Renault is really ugly sounding.

I think this ban will hurt Red Bull in quali, I think they do something in quali that uses a lot of fuel and heats up everything and that is why they only do it in Q3 and in Q2 if they absolutely have to.

 

[Phil]

I have a sneaky feeling Alonso is going to do very well in Monaco....

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

I doubt it. What you need in Monaco is downforce. What Ferrari lacks at the moment is downforce.

 

[Bludd]

They lack high speed downforce. Low speed downforce is different.