Comments on: Sebastian Vettel takes pole in crash-hit session (Japanese Grand Prix qualifying)

By: CC

CC — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:14:45 +0000

Agreed, yellow = caution…which can’t be seen to be done where the yellow was.

By: Chantel Ryan

Chantel Ryan — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:34:01 +0000

This has the makings of the best race of the season especially if it rains in the later stages.

By: Juan

Juan — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:54:27 +0000

Kers really doesn’t work off the start. That’s more down to the driver himself. I’m more worried about Vettel. When he’s around KERS cars he tends to have really bad starts, and he’s fueled heavier.

By: SaloolaS

SaloolaS — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:12:45 +0000

That was the best qualifying session I have ever seen in my life!

By: adaptalis

adaptalis — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:09:30 +0000

I thought Alonso looked “confused” by the outcome after Q2 at the weighing area where he was still wearing his helmet. He obviously thought the Brawn times should not have been taken and he would have been in the Top 10 and qualified for Q3.

IMO, the times set by those who went through Buemi’s wreck shouldn’t have been taken.

Also, they might have Brawn’s Sector 2 timing based on their Out Laps, which will show something of a comparison whether they lift off or not.

By: D Winn

D Winn — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:46:08 +0000

Car weights are out Keith

By: al_amana

al_amana — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:32:55 +0000

It may well be that he didn’t complete the lap and I have been mislead by the footage. However the outcome of that session isn’t really the issue here. I am simply saying that there is no consistency in these situations, something I know Keith is very passionate about.
The turn around from the crash and the red flag, in Singapore, was pretty quick. Where as today there was probably more debris on the track and in an even more dangerous area and it was only yellow flagged. So once again, as in Singapore, the session should have been red flagged and kay sera sera ………..
As for your obvious attempt at trying to engage me in a verbal stoush by suggesting I am dirty over Vettel being robbed of pole in Singapore, nice try!

By: F1Low

F1Low — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:17:32 +0000

The fact Brawn got into the final session is stupid. They should get the penalty already, what is taking so long.

By: Hakka

Hakka — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:00:45 +0000

True, so you’re basically saying they should use their discretion and point to the unusual surrounding circumstances when they dole out the fine. If they can do that while pointing out that this is just a one-off and other instances off speeding during yellow will result in an on-track penalty, then it might work.

I’m saying they shouldn’t set a precedent of using fines to punish not lifting-off under yellow. It’ll work if they stress that this is a one-off, but I’m not sure how they’d do that.

By: HG

HG — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:59:00 +0000

Alonso commented that he was the only one that slowed down due to the yellow

By: S Hughes

S Hughes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:48:04 +0000

I beg to differ. There was footage of Vettel’s garage celebrating as if they had pole just after he came into parc ferme.

Should have been in block quotes.

By: Prisoner Monkeys

Prisoner Monkeys — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:46:21 +0000

The problem with fines is that drivers and teams will start making trade-offs once it becomes known that a particular set of actions result in fines instead of on-track penalties.

This set of conditions – an accident that halts the session with more than half the drivers not having set a time, followed by a subsequent accident at the end of the session whn six drivers are just setting their first time – is highly unlikely to repeat itself.

By: S Hughes

S Hughes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:45:28 +0000

al_amana

No way do you always have to agree with Keith, I don’t, but this is factually wrong:

I beg to differ. There was footage of Vettel’s garage celebrating as if they had pole just after he came into parc ferme.

Vettel didn’t complete his last flying lap in Singapore because of a red flag at 26 seconds to go. His first sector was the fastest of all, so lots of people thought he could have got pole if he had been able to complete his lap (I didn’t because you cannot presume something that hasn’t yet happened). But what happened, happened. Lewis got the fastest lap, and Vettel didn’t in Singapore, therefore Lewis was on pole. I think you just need to accept this fact.

By: S Hughes

S Hughes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:38:00 +0000

I know, what a shame. I want him in the McLaren next year.

By: S Hughes

S Hughes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:35:45 +0000

Lewis has said his KERS is working very well here, so let’s hope hope hope.

By: Mcclaaren (Y)

Mcclaaren (Y) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:34:50 +0000

since the qualifying ended around 7:30… what time will the fuels be released ….

???

By: al_amana

al_amana — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:32:03 +0000

“They didn’t even finish the lap so they can’t possibly have thought they had pole position”

I beg to differ. There was footage of Vettel’s garage celebrating as if they had pole just after he came into parc ferme.

“There isn’t enough time to turn around an investigation on something as complicated as this in five minutes.”

How is it complicated. My point is that their times simply should not have counted because the session should have been red flagged.

“How many other cars have gone off there in the last two sessions?”

Again I refer to the point about why wasn’t the session red flagged after Buemi’s accident as it was in Singapore?

“OK, but I think you might have gone to the other extreme!”

All I can say to that is “Same old Keith, with his pick-a-post-apart”

By: AP

AP — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:25:43 +0000

Agreed, yellow = caution…which can’t be seen to be done where the yellow was.

By: al_amana

al_amana — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:23:43 +0000

You know what I mean captain nit picker

By: Jelle van der Meer

Jelle van der Meer — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:22:21 +0000

Interesting I actually think Hamilton might be lighter than Vettel. For some insane reason Mclaren keep fuelling Hamilton light while he does require pole.

The Q2 difference between Lewis and Vettel was bigger than Q3 – suggesting that Vettel is fuelled heavier than Lewis.