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@Prisoner Monkeys
Sorry but do you actually know if @bensweeneysf1blog and @todfod are not actively taking part in protesting the race or actively objecting to the leadership in Bahrain? You’re presuming yourself that theey’re only commenting and not doing something about it. So by your methodology (taken from reading other arguemtns presented by you in other threads) you can’t really comment until all the facts are presented to you otherwise you are mearly making a presumtion and in the worst case your are setting a bad representation of these people.

Back on topic – I think this can only end badly for F! and I kinda hope it does as F1 is portraying itself as being neive to political situaions in countries and I get the feeling there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes with alterior motives to all of this. At the end of the day the last thing I’d ever want to see is anybody get hurt, injured or killed.

BTW before I get stoned to death for making a comment, I’ve signed a pertition for the race not to go ahead in Bahrain, not much but it’s something.

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I agree, I actually thought Maldonado did a pretty fine job up until the last lap…but still I can’t help but chukle!

Some of the photoshops are hillarious on http://www.WTF1.co.uk as well. If you haven’t checked it out I strongly suggest you get over there and have a ganders!

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I would like to just add, being at Spa this weekend just gone and driving round the track, particularly Eau Rouge, makes Webber’s pass on Alonso truly phenominal…like the stuff of legends.

The entrance is actually very narrow (can fit 2 F1 cars very tightly side by side down there) and it’s very steep.

You need some serious cahoonas just to drive that corner quick let alone over take someone there!

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Sorry tflb1, when you say Vettel thrashed Webber…I presume you mean last year…where Vettel beat him by 14 points in the overall championship standings…?

And if you mention this year….I don’t think it’s just Webber, Vettel has thrashed…I think it’s fair to say Vettel has thrashed everyone this year.

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I can see your point, and I think it is a vary valid and good point raymondu999, though that may not be the best example as Sutil and Hamilton are good mates, so may just not want to trip over each other.

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raymondu999 – excellent post. It summised and confirmed what I thought was going on!

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This issue annoys me a little bit as I think it’s an unfair question with a not so clear answer.

I personally do think Webber is in the top 5 of drivers on the grid atm and deservidley so belongs up there.

There are several factors that I believe you have to take into account for what may appear to be his “inferior”-to Sebastian Vettel performance.

Firstly, that people say that the RB7 is the fastest car on the grid…I believe it is…but in the hands of Sebastien Vettel. I’ve heard, read reports (at the beginning of the season…unfortunately I wouldn’t know where to look to find them now) and heard first hand from a friend that works for Red Bull F1 that the RB7 was built and developed with Vettels driving style in mind, as they see a lot more longevity in Vettel over than Webber hence investing in him.

Mentally this must be a pretty crushing thing to overcome, to know that your team mate how has had the car designed for him than yourself.

Also bear in mind Webber and Vettel have two completly different styles of driving. Webber is aggressive like Hamilton and Vettel is smooth like Button. Can make a big difference.

Secondly, I believe we’re in a Vettel era and agree with some of the posts above that people will look back and see that Mark actually did pretty damn well to be so competitive with Vettel. It is undeniable that Vettel is on almighty form atm and when a driver is up on the crest of a wave, it can be very hard to bring them back down.

I just think that Mark is up against the best driver in Formula 1 atm and he’s starting to realise he’s not the best.

I work in motorsport and work with drivers, and they honestly convince themselves at any level of motoracing that they are the best driver out there….if doubt starts to come into their mind it can have severe consequences on their performance and ability. They have to believe it to perform at their optimum.

I remember hearing somewhere (please correct me if I’m wrong) that Flavio Briatore appologised to Martin Brundle for getting rid of him from Benetton in the early 90’s, saying that he just never quite realsied at the time how could Michael Schumacher was and that Brundle was a decent driver going up against an amazing team mate.

Thirdly, Mark has really struggle with two fundamental race destroying factors this season;

Tyres

Starts

Ok you could argue that a top 5 driver should be able to overcome these….but I believe if you take these aside Mark is one of the finest drivers out there…I’d say his race craft is certainly in the top 3 on the grid. With these aside he’d be a lot closer to fighting Vettel in the championship.

The tyres I believe he’s starting to get to grips with them (if you excuse the pun), but a driver just doesn’t loose half a second over his team mate over the course of down time between seasons.

Those are the main three deciding factors for what I believe people see his “sub-par” performance comes down to. Honestly I think out of all the teams out there I believe Vettel and Webber are the best pairing.

The negatives to Mark;

Can make mistakes

Poor starts

Still not on top of the tyre management issue

Unlucky (yes I know it’s cliche)

Getting on a bit

Positives;

Gritty, determined racer – can make an epic comeback

Excellent race craft

Has been relatively solid and reliable – consistent points scorer

Has a lot of experience

I think that’s most of what I wanted to say…appologies for the long rant!

To summise…Webbers bl**dy good!

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