Hamilton slightly lighter than rivals (Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fuel weights)
31st October 2009, 16:35 by Keith Collantine 125 Comments »
Vettel has more fuel on board than Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton may be carrying a couple of kilos less fuel than his rivals – but will it be enough for them to keep up with him?
Here’s the fuel weights for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in full:
Fuel weights
| Grid | Name | Weight | Fuel (kg) | First stint (laps) |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 658.5 | 53.5 | 18 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | 663 | 58 | 20 |
| 3 | Mark Webber | 660 | 55 | 19 |
| 4 | Rubens Barrichello | 655 | 50 | 17 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | 657 | 52 | 18 |
| 6 | Jarno Trulli | 661 | 56 | 19 |
| 7 | Robert Kubica | 654.5 | 49.5 | 17 |
| 8 | Nick Heidfeld | 664 | 59 | 20 |
| 9 | Nico Rosberg | 665 | 60 | 21 |
| 10 | Sebastien Buemi | 661.5 | 56.5 | 19 |
| 11 | Kimi Raikkonen | 692 | 87 | 31 |
| 12 | Kamui Kobayashi | 694.3 | 89.3 | 32 |
| 13 | Heikki Kovalainen | 697 | 92 | 33 |
| 14 | Kazuki Nakajima | 704 | 99 | 35 |
| 15 | Jaime Alguersuari | 696.5 | 91.5 | 32 |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | 708.3 | 103.3 | 37 |
| 17 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | 695 | 90 | 32 |
| 18 | Adrian Sutil | 696 | 91 | 32 |
| 19 | Romain Grosjean | 710.8 | 105.8 | 38 |
| 20 | Giancarlo Fisichella | 692.5 | 87.5 | 31 |
The fuel weights above are based on Williams’ estimate of 2.699kg/lap fuel consumption. However as this is the first race at Abu Dhabi they could prove less reliable than usual. If any new information on fuel use comes to light we can take another look at the predicted pit stop laps.
Anyone want to bet against Lewis Hamilton leading at the end of lap one? He’s starting from pole position and he’s got KERS, so unless he gets lost down one of Abu Dhabi’s many side-roads, he should be impossible to pass at the start.
However Kimi Raikkonen’s combination of a very heavy car with KERS should allow him to make up places at the start. That could be bad news for the likes of Nick Heidfeld, Nico Rosberg and Sebastien Buemi.
Even if Mark Webber manages to get past Sebastian Vettel at the start, Vettel has a slight strategy advantage being able to stop later.
Jenson Button may have qualified behind Rubens Barrichello, but with a touch more fuel on board he will fancy his chances of getting past.
How do you expect to see the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix unfold? Have your say below.
steve said on 31st October 2009, 16:39
wow. Hamilton really was flying. He could very mcuh sail off in to the distance with this one. Interesting to see if the red bulls can stay with him.
DanhNguyen said on 31st October 2009, 17:15
That’s great for Lewis. 0.5s per 1lap => 9s faster than anyone.
AP said on 1st November 2009, 10:51
lol as if he is going to be .5 faster every lap from the get go…
No thought about tyres, actual on track racing, if he is luck he may have 5-6 second gap but he wont save much fuel by doing that and will be in earlier than predicted as people always seem to forget he has kers weight and kers fuel economy in the car.
If either the RBR cars can stay close enough in 1st stint it will there race to loose.
Me said on 31st October 2009, 17:17
Absolutely, he has been the man to beat all weekend. All thing held constant, with that extra pace, he should take this one home.
TommyB said on 31st October 2009, 16:41
Top 10 stopping between 17-21
Bottom 10 stopping between 31-38
Should be a good race. I predicted Hamilton, Vettel, Barrichello
mm said on 1st November 2009, 0:12
I actually wouldn’t rule Raikonen out of it too soon, KERS at the start will probably boost him up into the points and then take a couple more places on pit strategy. If he drives well could hit a podium
Alastair said on 1st November 2009, 9:51
There’s a very good chance of somebody binning it in that mad pit lane exit and a SC coming out or the pit lane being closed, leaving Kimi in a very good position.
I wonder if Fisi could be persuaded to ‘do a Piquet’.
With Koby-bashi on track there’s a VERY good chance of a SC.
steph90 said on 31st October 2009, 16:41
Thanks Keith
Shame Kovy will have gearbox change penalty. I think podium will look the same as qualifying results. Kimi should hopefully move up a good few places and is fuelled very long compared to the drivers infront.
rfs said on 31st October 2009, 16:45
Lewis for the Grand Chelem!
Daniel :D said on 31st October 2009, 18:07
Cant Happen, He needs to win
Free Practice 1, 2 & 3
As Well As
Qualifying (P1, P2 & P3) & The Race & Fastest Lap.
He Was 2nd In FR2 & 2ND In FP3
But Still Mightly Impressive, 1st In All Quali Rounds
Thats My Boy
lettucefolk said on 31st October 2009, 18:52
That would actually be Über Chelem…
Grand Chelem just needs:
1-Start from pole
2-Be at all times ranking 1st
3-Win the GP (obviously…)
4-Do fastest lap
The last one was done by Schumi, in 2004 (Hungary).
Vettel almost nailed it in Suzuka, if not by Webber’s late flier.
Hamilton has little chance of managing that, seeing as he’ll pit a couple laps before the competition (doubt that he’ll find a 20+ second gap by then…:P)
Other than that, he has a pretty sweet chance of scoring yet another win!
rooks said on 31st October 2009, 22:05
Lewis got so close to it in Hungary in 2007 that he was actually crossing the finish line as a Grand Chelem winner, Raikkonen however improved Hamilton’s fastest lap in the last lap. His provisional Grand Chelem lasted for 0.7 seconds
Shagrathian said on 1st November 2009, 10:49
You sound like Montezemolo!
MN said on 31st October 2009, 16:49
Hamilton may be lighter but 6 tenths….
cholle said on 31st October 2009, 16:50
Does anyone have figures on how much time will be lost during pitstops?
Austin said on 31st October 2009, 17:58
They can expect to be in and out of the pits in about 19 seconds or less.
Net Sticks said on 31st October 2009, 16:52
To end the season on and top note, after having the new World Champions found on the previous GP, nothing like the yet Champions to give us a great race and another victory and to prove that, even this season, a very strange and unexpected season, McLaren and Lewis can still have Poles and Victories!
Next year will be different; they will be in front in all the races!!!
GO LEWIS!!!
Chaz said on 31st October 2009, 16:53
I’m a little surprised about Lewis fuel level but I expect him to pull out a good kers lead to cover his options.
On another note, it’s good to see Bruno Senna has been confirmed for the Campos Meta F1 team for next year…
Chaz said on 31st October 2009, 17:24
Additionally, looks like Heikki has been given a five place penalty for a new gearbox…
Kani said on 31st October 2009, 16:54
Kimi will be challenging for podium or thereabouts. I reckon he’ll eat up the Brawns.
Patrickl said on 31st October 2009, 16:58
Kimi is starting in 11th!
Also he’s very heavy (negating the effect of KERS) and the first corner comes quickly after the start.
Nitpicker said on 31st October 2009, 17:06
You don’t think Kimi will win??
Can’t wait to see Montezemolo’s forehead vein pop.
SaloolaS said on 31st October 2009, 17:09
First corner does come quickly after the start, but the long straigh will be very good for Kimi – he will probably overtake 2 or 3 drivers there.
Scribe said on 31st October 2009, 16:56
Hamilton needn’t have gone so light, he would have kept pole with another lap or two on board. That was clear from Q1 and Q2.
Infact he could’ve fueled for 20 laps and even if he didn’t get pole he could’ve KERS himself into the lead on the straight. Pointless pole hunting from McLaren.
Brawn aren’t going to catch Redbull I dont think. Button would have to absolutley smash the first few laps to get close. Still he’s on the clean side so I think he’ll take Barrichello.
mp4-19b said on 31st October 2009, 17:10
Agreed. But it seems that Hamilton is hellbent on emulating Senna’s pole record. It was his 18th pole in 51 starts! Putting him equal with Alonso. Kimi is next with 16.
Nitpicker said on 31st October 2009, 17:10
Now now, don’t get stroppy. Lewis’ Q1/Q2 pace was good, but I don’t think anyone was expecting him to go 0.7s clear.
Giuseppe said on 31st October 2009, 17:25
If he can maintain his 6tenths advantage per lap, by the time 18 laps are over he would be 10sec in front of Vettel.
I dont see how any other driver can win
Daniel :D said on 31st October 2009, 18:02
I disagree.. Mclaren want the Pole to let Lewis lead the Race before his Pitstops, meaning he can bridge a gap, whereas if he started maybe 2nd/3rd ok.. with KERS he most likely would of got ahead of them, but like Suzuka, he didnt get a good start, this leaves him behind a car and he isnt steaming clear..
So Lewis starting P1 with a strong stratagy means he can dominate the first few laps and then get a strong lead into his first pit stop and then take the lead back.. So it is logical thinking from Mclaren Mercedes.
But i do agree with some1 who mentioned they could of filed him few laps longer because it was 6 TENTHS!! wow Well Done Lewis
martinb said on 31st October 2009, 21:23
I noticed Lewis started his final qualifying lap with a full KERS and ended with an empty KERS. He didn’t harvest energy on that last lap. Presumably this gave him a couple of tenths advantage in qualifying that he wouldn’t get in the race, because he has to recharge the KERS every lap in race conditions.
pSynrg said on 1st November 2009, 0:07
Sorry but that doesn’t make any sense at all.
thestig84 said on 1st November 2009, 2:51
Wow I am amazed by that comment. Do you spend long on f1 websites or even watching f1!!?? Stunned
bobo said on 1st November 2009, 8:45
Maybe I’m being thick, but you seem to make a good point… I wonder if anyone could enlighten us on why it’s a stupid comment.
Derek said on 1st November 2009, 10:03
Yoiu don’t understand KERS. It automatically recharges as the car goes over the start/finish line. I noticed that they were using the last little bit of Kers on the start of the Start/finish strait then immediately using some more as they crossed the line.
Dingle Dell said on 31st October 2009, 16:58
Thank God… the final fuel weight prediction/analysis in F1 before refuelling is banned next year. Phew, and we won’t be seeing those wheel fairings/caps next year too! Glad.
We’ll see who’s FLYING next year, I am putting everything on the excitement of qualifying in 2010. Ho ho ho!
Nitpicker said on 31st October 2009, 17:07
Is Mrs. Claus looking forward to it as well?
StrFerrari4Ever said on 31st October 2009, 17:04
Lewis lighter as I thought Vettel outqualifies Webber yet again on a heavier fuel load albeit one lap difference. Brawns should finish where they are don’t see them causing the Red Bull’s harm unless they have amazing race pace.
Buemi surprised me I thought he’d be on a heavier strategy but seems like he failed to string a competetive lap in Q3 hopefully he’ll have race pace to do something tommorow.
Tarzan said on 31st October 2009, 17:16
Red bull seem to have the closest matched drivers (maybe with BMW). They are quite close every time they both finish.
F1 Fan said on 31st October 2009, 17:09
Kimi Raikkonen with a heavy fuel load looks like he is on a one stopper. Make up two or three places to the 1st corner with KERS. Also make up more places on track and in the pits. Hamilton is gonna be pressured and make some mistakes, as usual.
Bigbadderboom said on 31st October 2009, 19:13
Kimi is definatley going to represent the nuisance factor for most of top ten, He could really put the spanner into someones startegy.
Becken said on 31st October 2009, 17:12
I´m no sure, But Fisichella had no KERS in his car today in quali…
F1Fan said on 31st October 2009, 17:23
Lewis is untouchable, his 2 laps’ worth of lighter fuel should have translated to not more than 2.5-3 tenths advantage in Q3. 7 tenths is enormous. He will walk the race tomorrow. Of the others Vettel is clearly the fastest. And here is a point I want to make. Button is 2 kg lighter than Rubens which is not even worth an extra lap (Button is heavier than Rubens, literally). So Rubens beat him by a tenth, fair and square. Vettel is 3 kg heavier than Webber and yet beat him to 2nd place. The point here is that a good (not even great) driver will more often than not outqualify his teammate even if he is a bit heavier. A mediocre driver, like Button, will instead be outqualified by his teammate. There is no excuse that Button’s supporters can use this time. No stress, he has won the WDC and this was the weekend that he was going to be “unleashed”. Well, go ahead and unleash the turtle …
Salty said on 31st October 2009, 17:45
Weight includes the driver. Cars actually carry ballast to make the 605kg requirement of car and driver pre-fuel.
Told you he was running heavier than Rubens! LOL
F1Fan said on 31st October 2009, 18:44
That’s exactly my point. Total car weight = car+fuel+driver. Since Button is heavier than Rubens (by at least 3-4 kg I reckon) then he is not carrying more fuel, or if he is it’s in the grams, more kilos.
F1Fan said on 31st October 2009, 18:50
I meant to say “in the grams, not kilos”.
Patrickl said on 31st October 2009, 20:58
The 605 kg minimum weight INCLUDES THE DRIVER. So car+driver is 605kg.
The difference between 605kg and the total weight in the list is ONLY fuel.
So Button has 2 kilogram more FUEL on board than Rubens.
F1Fan said on 31st October 2009, 23:27
Yes, you are correct. I took another look at the numbers. Even so, one lap’s worth of fuel is 2.7 kg here, so Button is not even carrying a lap’s worth of fuel more than Rubens. The point remains: the better driver is supposed to outqualify his teammate with this small of a fuel-weight difference. Vettel out-q’d Webber carrying 3 kg more.
I just read Button’s list of excuses for losing top-3 in Q. The car all of sudden behaved differently in Q3 on new tyres/race load, vibration started appearing, blah, blah, blah, blah … have mercy, man !
You know, this is why they are running all these laps in P1, P2 and P3, to see how the car behaves under different loads and tyres (new, used). So Button’s excuses are just crap. Every time there is a different excuse: the pressure got to me, I was being conservative, the car misbehaved, and on and on.
Guys face it. He is a mediocre driver at best. It took him over 100 races to win one and when he won it, half the field crashed in the rain of the Hungaroring. And he won this title here because he had a very significant car advantage, OK ? Once everyone else caught up, he couldn’t win diddly-do ! Oh, and had the RBR had the double diffuser from the beginning, Vettel would be the champion now, no dount about it.
Brawn, as a team, deserve the WDC. they worked smart and executed well. Button remains an average driver, at best, who lucked out once and won a title. He will be lucky to be 5th next year.
Patrickl said on 1st November 2009, 0:32
Actually, the RBR has been the faster car over the whole season. Still Button was faster than both RBR drivers AND his team mate.
He might not be the best driver, but he sure is one of the better ones. At least he’s the best out of the 4 drivers in the fastest cars.
Salty said on 31st October 2009, 21:16
Sorry, so was that a yes you were right, Rubens was lighter? Know that was what you wanted to say, but missed it somewhere – forgive me, it’s a busy thread.
Oh, and yes, we agree that Hamilton IS the fastest man out there. And unless Ferrari have a crystal ball, or the plans to the MP24, will continue to be so. But then…. it does come down to the car.
F1Fan said on 31st October 2009, 23:29
Lewis **should** win easily tomorrow. But strange things happen sometimes in F1.
Scribe said on 31st October 2009, 18:32
Where you listening at the end? Buttons breaks where broken, this made the car vibrate under braking, what a poor flimsy drive to come a tenth behind your teamate in a car which vibrates when you should be making time.
F1Fan said on 31st October 2009, 18:45
There’s always an excuse when Button loses, right ? What were the excuses for every other Q (and race) in the 2nd half of the season that Rubens beat him, when he finally had an equal car ?
Scribe said on 31st October 2009, 19:05
Rubens had an equal car all season. It suited Button before Silverstone and Barrichello after. If your making paranoid statements like that then you’ve clearly got a bias.
Also I wasn’t making excuses for the other failures, infact I got very anoyed with Button for the amount he tightened up in qualifiying. Finally there haven’t really been physical excuses for losing to Barrichello a lot of the time and none have been made, this time there was. All I’m saying was this was a fairly decent performance from Button in a car that had a problem.
you melon.
Anthony said on 31st October 2009, 19:27
No, they didnt had the same car all season. Rubens had different brakes wich made him run without the tire covers wich made the balance of the car different. Everybody knows that already. They changed his brakes after silverstone and from then on he has the same brakes as button.
Scribe said on 31st October 2009, 19:43
Yes they did. If they where on different brakes Rubens would have complained about an unfair advantage to Button and would have had every right.
BOTH cars changed brakes at Silverstone.
Buttons braking style means a gradual increasing of preassure, whearas Rubens perfers more imediate breaking. However Button eventualy applies more preasure than Rubens. Before Silverstone the material which both cars where using came up to operating tempreture slower suiting Button and the Cars set up.
After both cars where set up to suit the cars upgrades and a new faster heating set of brakes where used suiting Rubens and the new car set up.
Derek said on 1st November 2009, 10:12
Good point on the brakes Scribe, I was not aware of that one.
But what all this with the Button bashing everyone!! Give him a break, he’s our new WDC!!
PaulRS said on 1st November 2009, 0:53
Tazio is no longer with us