Raikkonen ‘needs reassurance about Lotus finances’

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Lotus team principal Eric Boullier says Kimi Raikkonen needs to be convinced the teams’ finances are sound before committing to them for another season.

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Lotus confident Raikkonen will stay (Reuters)

“I understand he needs to be reassured about the strength of the team financially, the technical challenge we have to face for next year… it’s normal.”

McLaren wants Button, Perez for 2014 (Autosport)

Jenson Button has been linked with a possible move after admitting during the Belgian Grand Prix that his option has yet to be picked up by the team.”

Di Resta baffled by Maldonado actions (BBC)

“He wasn’t going to make the pits, so I don’t know what he was planning to do or where he was going.”

Lewis Hamilton: “Maybe we’ll be able to unlock something before the next race” (Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog)

“It’s difficult to understand what we’ve missed out, but I think the guys will work over the next few days to try and understand where we were slower. But Eau Rouge was particularly slow for us, and down the straights. Maybe we’ll be able to unlock something before the next race, but if not then I’m hoping that Singapore onwards we’ll be much stronger.”

Hamilton: Tough task ahead (Sky)

“It’s going to be very, very tough undoubtedly. [Vettel’s] just had a phenomenal car for a long, long time and it’s still phenomenally quick – and he does the job. It’s a perfect package.”

Ferrari needs extra step – Domenicali (ESPN)

“We had a very bad July for many reasons and I am very pleased to see that we are back on track but it is not enough.”

Formula One: Daniel Ricciardo’s smile is just a ruse (The National)

“Do not be fooled: the perma-smile is a ruse. Under the helmet, he is fiercely competitive, admitting once that ‘at risk of sounding like a bad sport’, when he is beaten by team mate Jean-Eric Vergne he gets ‘[ticked] off, disappointed and angry with myself’.”

A good save (Toro Rosso)

“In the end, the tyre plan we ran for Daniel [Ricciardo] – a long first stint on the Hards before two stints on the Medium, worked better than the one we went for with [Vergne] – two stints on the medium before finally switching to the hard. [Vergne] was also handicapped in the final part of the race with a very slow puncture that meant air was leaking from his right rear.”

CVC Capital’s formula ensures pole position (FT, registration required)

“CVC has managed to stay clear of legal trouble, and while a planned initial public offering of [F1] has been delayed, it has already returned more than four times its $1bn investment, expecting to reap as much as seven times.”

The 2014 calendar (Joe Saward)

“The word is that the Korean GP will be going ahead in 2014 as well, despite stories to the contrary.”

Lessons from the stylish: Jenson Button (The Telegraph)

“‘My race kit is basically a romper suit,’ he says, giggling. ‘I think it’s hilarious that we walk around in these one-piece outfits – take it away from the circuit and it just looks proper comedy.'”

The Art of Motor Racing (The Way It Is)

Emerson Fittipaldi: “Motor racing can be like a drug. You can enjoy it so much that you find it very difficult to get away from. So it is important to realise there is another world out there. It is very easy to get so deeply involved in motor racing that you forget you are a human being, that should have a home, a family and friends away from racing.”

From the archive, 26 August 1978: Lotus prepare for hat trick (The Guardian)

“On the whole [Mario] Andretti is at a disadvantage. While he is more skilled than [Ronnie] Peterson on the technicalities of adjusting the car to the track (from which Peterson inevitably benefits because at least some of the sittings are passed on to his car) he is obliged to beat Peterson fair and square to reach his goal of the world title.”

Belgian Grand Prix – epilogue (MotorSport)

“When first I began covering overseas events, almost three decades ago, it was normal to travel back to the UK from all over Europe and reach the office by 6am on Monday morning, to start gluing together a newspaper.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

Chris wonders how far Vettel can go:

I never thought I’d actually say this, but I want to see if Vettel and Red Bull can break the Schumacher/Ferrari records.

It’s not exactly Red Bull’s fault that they’re romping the competition. It shouldn’t be up to Bernie or the FIA to give other teams a chance, they should do it by stepping up to the plate and trying to better them (not an easy task).

I don’t like seeing Vettel (or anyone, except Hamilton) cruise to easy victories because once the battle for the most important position (first) is done after the first few laps viewership strikingly decreases.

The same with the Schumacher/Ferrari pairing, F1 viewership was at an all-time low. But when you look back at the statistics, it looks incredible.
Chris (@Tophercheese21)

From the forum

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Vettelfan, Pemsell and Monosodico!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Mario Andretti won an F1 race for the last time 35 years ago today in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

The top three finished in the order they started, Andretti ahead of Lotus team mate Ronnie Peterson and Brabham’s Niki Lauda.

Here’s some footage from the race weekend:

Images © GP3, Red Bull/Getty, F1 Fanatic/Joris Meuffels

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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61 comments on “Raikkonen ‘needs reassurance about Lotus finances’”

  1. Lewis seems to never miss an opportunity to remind us that Seb has had the best car over the last several seasons. We all know this – the more he says it, the more it sounds like sour grapes, jealousy, or an excuse.

    1. It don’t think he is moaning. Vettel has had the best car since mid 2009, so I think he is making a point. If Vettel was in Hamiltons position, I think he would be saying the same.

      1. (Here we go again— Deja vu?)

        Not last year, McLaren had the best car…

        1. The Blade Runner (@)
          27th August 2013, 9:19

          @celeste I was about to make the same point!

          And as has been pointed out ad infinitum, Webber has the same car but can’t match him.

          I’m no fan Vettel fan but my respect for him is currently at a record high.

          1. Just because two drivers have the same car does not mean they have the same advantage. I case I often point out to people is GP2 and GP3 where all the cars are the same but some teams extract more performance out of them. Not saying its the case but two drivers can have an “identical” car yet get very different experience from it for a huge number of reasons. If the backing is behind one driver in the team its not always fair to assume that the other driver has an absolutly equal chance of being as successful with the same package.

        2. That did not finish races, as Kimi in 2005.

    2. I think it’s just the usual competitiveness of these guys. RB had phases when they didn’t have the fastest car but the package Vettel / RB seem to also win the development race every season. And we saw it this year or in 2011 when Vettel has his act together it’s an almost unbeatable combination.

  2. I don’t like the booing on the podium that Vettel gets now, but I can’t say I’m surprised. F1 had a good few years after Schumacher’s reign, and now we’re back at Square 1. One team has more money, more resources, the best staff and a lot of political power. From the great 2009 season where lots of teams looked like winners or point scorers even if it didn’t turn out that way, now there is only one team. The only way is to hope that one of their dodgy technologies gets banned, or they suffer a failure. Realistically, although championships have been close in points the last few years, they have been red bull’s to lose.

    1. @hairs I’m quite sure that in Belgium the booing was for Greenpeace, not Vettel

      1. Zantkiller (@)
        27th August 2013, 1:45

        @raymondu999
        Yes the booing on the podium was more for the greenpeace protesters (which I only found out about after the race) then Vettel but he did get booed throughout the weekend.

        I was sitting at the Kemmel straight for saturday and sunday.
        Every time he appeared on screen there was some substantial booing.
        When he came past in the driver parade it felt like the whole of the kemmel straight was booing him and I saw him stop mid wave and just look quite a bit miserable about it.
        When he crossed the finishing line there was the usual polite clap mixed in with some more booing.
        Maybe I was in a bad zone but there was equal big cheers for Alonso, Kimi and Hamilton. So it wasn’t just one fan set.

        1. @zantkiller Yeah, I saw a fans’ video from the Kemmel straight from the parade lap, in which people were unmistakeably booing Vettel. Sad.

        2. The Blade Runner (@)
          27th August 2013, 9:09

          He received exactly the same reaction at Catalunya and Silverstone this year. The drivers parade at Catalunya was actually quite amusing because there was really loud booing for Vettel followed by a massive cheer for Webber who was in the car behind him. Webber was laughing his socks off and applauded the crowd!

        3. I’m astonished by the fact how resistant Vettel is to all this. No matter how much he gets booed, he just stays concentrated and wins the race. I would have broken long ago in his place :P

          1. @paeschli I just generally thinks he ignores it out of purpose – he doesn’t give a toss that there are some out there unsportsman enough to boo him because he knows he has his fans and above all he’s winning ;)

          2. @vettel1 Somewhat ironic to refer to “unsporsman” behaviour in booing Vettel. The reason Vettel is being booed is because of his unsportsman like behaviour over the team orders with Webber. I’ve been to 3 GPs this year – Melbourne, Spain and Canada. In Melbourne on the drivers parade Vettel received a warm response. At Canada and Spain i.e. after the Multi-21 incident, he was given some pretty rough treatment. Personally i’m not a fan of booing him as i think despite his faults he’s a top class F1 driver. However, when you disobey team orders over an extremely popular driver in Webber you kinda have to be prepared for the consequences. Maybe Vettel is cool with this – personally, i’d feel a little bit tainted.

          3. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
            28th August 2013, 6:31

            @vettel1 Exactly. I am far from a Vettel fan but I am totally against booing of any sort. Not just for Vettel, but for any driver. Why boo? many people in the audience aren’t even fit enough to get into an F1 car, let alone drive it well and win. So yeah, hate him but don’t boo him unless you can outrace him! :p

          4. @davidwhite

            The reason Vettel is being booed is because of his unsportsman like behaviour over the team orders with Webber.

            Then it’s a hypocrisy because Webber did much the same thing to Vettel at Silverstone in 2011 and he doesn’t get booed for that.

            Those who resent Vettel’s success will pretend this is somehow different and doesn’t apply. They continue to use it as an excuse to boo him and come out with childish insults like “smug schoolboy” which reveals far more about them than it says about Vettel.

            @shreyasf1fan

            I am far from a Vettel fan but I am totally against booing of any sort. Not just for Vettel, but for any driver.

            Hear, hear.

    2. Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all have the same recources. I highly doubt Red Bull have more are even equal political power than at least Ferrari and in staff I think Mercedes actually has the most big names, Red Bull’s main factor is still Newey.

      I can’t understand why people just can’t accept that RBR Vettel is the best combination of the past few years. It’s not like he’s dominating the field like Schumacher used to do. He won two of his three titles with less then a 10 point advantage, in the final race!

      Vettel has also been exceptional ever since halfway trough last season. He hasn’t finished below fourth the entire season and hasn’t put a foot wrong. I believe this season of Vettel is at least equally impressive to Alonso’s season last year, if not better and both are well comparable to Schumachers 2001 – 2002 seasons, wich is why Vettel is so far ahead right now.

      Just look at Webbers stats to know how good he is. And don’t even think to say that he’s second fiddle, as Massa is a far greater second fiddle, and people still say Alonso is so great because he compares so good against Massa.

      1. The Blade Runner (@)
        27th August 2013, 9:13

        Personality plays the biggest part in people’s perception of Vettel and therefore RBR.

        He is undoubtedly an exceptionally talented driver but unfortunately comes over as a smug schoolboy. Not really the sort of character F1 fans identify with.

        If Webber had dominated in the same fashion then I think RBR would have far greater support.

        Kimi would be perfect PR for them but that doesn’t now look to be happening.

        1. That’s one thing I don’t quite understand about his image. What exactly did he do to trigger this perception ?

          I’m biased though because I’ve kept an eye on him since his first FP1 session with BMW and ever since the podium in Monza 08 (with my childhood hero Berger next to him) I’ve been a fan.

        2. So what personality do F1 fans identify with?

          I honestly do not get why Vettel gets treated the way he is, gets bashed for everything he does, while everyone else seems to get away with stuff like waving his fist in the air, cheering when a competitor has a mechanical failure (Alonso); complains about when a team mate ignores team orders, yet never cared for them himself (Webber); constantly moans about compeitors having faster cars (Alonso, Hamilton); … … … …
          I don’t see how Vettel’s actions and behavior are that much worse than that of the others to revoke such behavior from the fans. There is a massive amount of people who make up things in their own mind how Vettel is and blatantly ignore ‘faults’ of others. I do agree with Kimi’s general hatred for some especially moronic interviewers, but to be honest he oftentimes comes over pretty negative to me as well. Interviews are still the fastest and easiest way to communicate with the fans of the sport. Yet people love him.

          1. @dennis I definitely think the two things he isn’t is schadenfreude and egoistic above the norm – he always congratulates the team first and foremost before ever using the pronoun “I”. The rest is up for debate though – many don’t like his celebrations or whatnot and I can totally understand that (for example, I hate Alonso’s samurai alter-ego and Hamilton’s almost jealousy and over-emotion at times). Each to their own really; as long as respect is shown I personally don’t really care how other people think of the driver’s personalities!

        3. that’s because he is a smug schoolboy, in that he is still so young. Hamilton still talks like a schoolboy too, moreso then vettel. more to the point why people have started to dislike vettel is because he wins so much, and then rubs it in every opponents (and their fans) face with his huge celebrations in the cockpit, this makes people bitter and jealous :) ofcourse if he acted monotone like raikonnen, there would be less of a jealousy factor.

        4. @thebladerunner

          He is undoubtedly an exceptionally talented driver but unfortunately comes over as a smug schoolboy

          I don’t find him “smug” in the slightest – it sounds to me like a knee-jerk insult from someone who resents his success. Particularly when combined with “schoolboy”.

          1. @keithcollantine +1 – that’s the bordering on disrespect thing I don’t personally like!

          2. @keithcollantine – i don’t agree. I think there is undoubtedly an element of smugness with Vettel. Of all the drivers radio broadcasts, it’s Vettel who consistently sounds like a spoilt brat when things don’t go his way. This is why i think at times he comes across as immature and a little spoilt – hence the reference to a schoolboy has some merit. That said, i don’t see the same “smugness” from Vettel outside the cockpit. He comes across as a very nice chap. I do wonder whether this is his true personality though – when i think back to some of his comments after the Multi-21 affair my respect for him diminished. There are clearly lots of people out there that dislike Vettel because he’s so successful – unfortunately that’s human nature – however, there is in my view an underlying unpleasantness to Vettel’s personality that is only really surfaces when under pressure. It’s probably true of a number of drivers but Vettel get’s more focus and he’s so successful at the moment in that Red Bull Rocket!

          3. The Blade Runner (@)
            28th August 2013, 9:01

            @keithcollantine We’re all human and we all draw our own opinions about people, whether famous or otherwise, from the way the look, act, sound etc. Howwver, as I said in my comment higher up the page:

            I’m no fan Vettel fan but my respect for him is currently at a record high.

            As for him being a “smug schoolboy”, as I say we all draw our own conclusions and I’m more than happy for you or anyone else to disagree with me. If you do look up the dictionary definition of “smug” though then I suggest you consider it in the context of his post multi-21 interview in China.

            As for your comment of:

            it sounds to me like a knee-jerk insult from someone who resents his success

            with respect, this sounds like a knee-jerk reaction from someone who doesn’t like me expressing my opinion.

            A very large proportion of F1 fans don’t like Vettel, hence the booing I have heard first-hand at every venue I have visited this year. Maybe many resent his success, although I think that is unlikely. The truth is, and it is a shame for a man so talented and who is such an anglophile, that his personality/demeanour/behaviour (attribute it to what you will) does not sit well with many fans, especially British ones.

            To come back to your comments though Keith, I am actually really warming to him! Although maybe that’s a “knee-jerk” reaction to his resounding victory on Sunday…

          4. @keithcollantine @thebladerunner In my opinion, there are two questions that we should separate.

            The first one is: Why isn’t Vettel as popular as Raikkonen or Hamilton even though he has won more titles? That is a complicated one and there are probably 100 answers to it, starting with Vettel’s steep success curve and ending with Dr. Marko.

            The second question is: Why do some fans boo Vettel? I believe that’s a simple one. As every other sport, F1 has fans and “fans” and the latter ones simply cannot behave and bash the drivers that they don’t like on Twitter, different forums and boo them after the race. These people just haven’t grown up and I have no respect for them.

          5. @thebladerunner

            with respect, this sounds like a knee-jerk reaction from someone who doesn’t like me expressing my opinion.

            Only when I think those opinions are mean-spirited, like this one.

            I think the only way you end up with a view of Vettel as a “smug schoolboy” is if you largely ignore what he says and does, and selectively choose a few events to base your judgement of him on.

            You could do this for any driver: if you base you entire opinion of Lewis Hamilton on his behaviour after Melbourne 2009 and Monaco 2011 you would have a view of him that was both very low and ridiculously skewed. Doing that to Hamilton would be just as unfair as doing the same to Vettel with respect of his comments after ‘multi 21’, some of which I agree were unfortunate (i.e. his obviously insincere repentance post-race, which was happily replaced by a more convincing and defiant attitude a few weeks later).

            Vettel has proven himself to be intelligent and funny on plenty of occasions. Look at his appearances on Top Gear or at the Autosport Awards for example. There are native English speaking drivers who are not half as articulate and approachable as Vettel is. He is an excellent ambassador for the sport and does not deserve a fraction of the vitriol he is subject to.

            “Smug schoolboy”? I say “smug” is plain wrong and “schoolboy” is an expression of jealousy at someone’s youth. As an insult, it says very little about the target and far more about the person wielding it.

          6. The Blade Runner (@)
            29th August 2013, 9:09

            @keithcollantine

            I say “smug” is plain wrong and “schoolboy” is an expression of jealousy at someone’s youth. As an insult, it says very little about the target and far more about the person wielding it.

            We’re obviously going to continue to disagree on the point itself, which is fine with me, but in your criticism of my opinion you yourself are quick to jump to conclusions of your own. As I don’t appear on TV quite as regularly as Mr. Vettel, might I suggest that mine may be a little more valued…?

            “Smug – Having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one’s achievements”

            “Schoolboy – Characteristic of or associated with schoolboys, esp. in being immature”

            Hardly outlandish criticism really is it? Just because you happen to disagree with it doesn’t make my comments the venom-spitting vitriol you appear to want to paint them as. And yet based on them you’re happy to presume that I’m (a) jealous of Vettel’s youth, and (b) mean spirited (I presume that’s what you’re suggesting with your “says far more about the person wielding it” comment). Hopefully the irony isn’t lost on you…

            Let me make my opinion of Vettel abundantly clear and then we can move on:

            I’ve never been overly keen on him (not hatred or even a strong disliking) but I am really starting to warm to him.

            There we go. Not headline-making stuff I wouldn’t have thought Keith. I hasten to add that I really enjoy your site (it’s neither “schoolboy” nor “smug”)

    3. F1 is a sport, and as with the mayority of the sport it has something to do with tradition and passion. Some F1 fans like to made of Vettel and RBR the villians, when the truth is ,as @tophercheese21 saids on COTD, up to the other teams/ drivers to stop them.

      I hope someday Vettel will get the respect he deserve, he really seen like a funy guy and simple man. His competitive actitude is not worst than thay of other top drivers by example Alonso just wished someone will take out Vettel on the next race.

      Until the day come when people value Vettel talent and performance he just have to keep winning. After all Haters gonna Hate!

  3. I’d like to see Button replace Massa at Ferrari. I think that would make for some very interesting races next year. I can’t figure out how they can be so bad this year after having such a great car at the end of 2012. Can anyone tell me how much faster cars are this year compared to last?

    Who knows how competitive Red Bull will be next year. The regulations are so different that it’s possible a Mercedes or Ferrari engine will completely dominate the Renault powerplant. The regs have been so consistent around the engines that it isn’t a significant difference anymore (although the somewhat frequent, race-winning failure alternator problems at Red Bull seem a bit of a deviation) and next year they will present probably the biggest difference between teams, even above aerodynamics and tires. Red Bull will be strong because they obviously have very smart people, the best driver, and a large budget, but I see no reason why there isn’t some probability that they couldn’t get off to a more worse start than another team. They also need to keep working on 2013 more than some teams who can transition to 2014 more easily, but if Vettel can win the next two, I’d say everyone would transition to 2013, so any advantage over RB in this area would be lost. I suspect Ferrari will go for broke at Monza, and Mercedes at Singapore; then, it might be over.

    Someone please bend Ricciardo’s hat– he seems like a nice guy but looks like such a ***** when wearing a hat.

    1. @chaddy

      Ricciardo’s hat

      That’s how them kids wear their caps these days. Flat bills. I guess it’s better than wearing them backwards or tucking one’s ears inside the hat ;)

      1. pretty sure Kimi prefers the snapback” caps as well

    2. i couldnt put an exact figure on the speed compared to last year but i remember a few races ago McLaren saying their 2013 car was by then faster than the 2012 car – meaning if it was true their 2012 car had reached it’s ‘development ceiling’ then they made the correct choice in opting for a new design. Problem being they didn’t do a good job and all other teams had bigger gains (apart from Williams and Sauber maybe).

      Engines could be the deciding factor next year but regulations limiting both the total fuel for the race and instantaneous fuel consumption should provide a relatively level playing field for both efficiency and power output. Energy available is therefore the same, both instantaneously and throughout the race, but there will obviously be some differences in what percentage of the total can be harnessed.

  4. Is it just me, or is this a huge round up? 14 articles! Nicely done @keithcollantine quality AND quantity!

    1. @nackavich Yes it was a busy one today! There have been others with over 20 articles in though and there are other elements sometimes too – snapshots, site updates etc…

      1. @keithcollantine You could use some more staff

  5. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    27th August 2013, 2:11

    Re: Di Resta baffled by Maldonado actions (BBC)

    When you look at the video of it, it looks as if Maldonado initially tried to go towards the pits half heartedly, but Adrian Sutil took part of his front wing end-plate off, at which point MAL tried to go for the pits even more, and Di Resta showed up and took off the rest of what was left of his front wing.

    Was a strange incident. When I saw it on TV i just knew something was going to happen when you have 5 cars jostling for position through the bus-stop chicane.

    1. In Latin America the narrator of the race thought Sutil have at least part of the fault for the accident. It just was a weird way to exit the curve by Maldonado, he already said that he wasn´t goint in to the pits, so maybe he lost the car for a moment and thats the reason the way he took the curve looks so weird.

    2. It was even more likely to happen given one of the drivers was Maldonado.

      “It was a difficult situation because I was fighting hard with the Sauber and I didn’t see Di Resta on the outside as I turned toward the pitlane.”

      That complete lack of situational awareness when taking such a strange line across the track is extremely worrying.

    3. I found it strange that DC didn’t see (obvious from his commentary) that Maldonado had a planned pit-stop that lap. For me from seeing the replays it was very clear he tried to head into the pits even before he lost a part of his wing.

    4. I think Maldonado was trying to avoid making contact with Sutil, by ran into di Resta because all if his attention was on the Force India to his left and the Force India to his right was in his blind spot. Remember, a driver doesn’t have much in the way of peripheral vision – his neck movements are limited by the HANS device, and the high sides if the cockpit block his vision.

    5. Agree with you. It was obvious that he wanted to go to pits even before he hit Sutil. It’s hard to believe that the circuit designers/re-aligners do not take this basic factor into consideration. The pit entry line should not cut across the racing line. As can be seen in this case, Maldonado had to take a totally different line from the racing line (as does any driver going into the pits) and cut across the racing line to make the pit entry. It’s all fine when the track’s empty, but when you have 4-5 cars racing closely, this is a recipe for disaster as shown in this case, He didn’t hit one but two cars!
      On a related note, is there a petition somewhere to get rid of the stupid ‘bus-stop’ chicane, that I can sign? Frankly it is an appalling finish to the arguably-best-circuit-on-the-calendar. It goes against the grain of the rest of the circuit. Am I the only one who feels that?

      1. I’m no fan of chicanes, but it has became one of the few overtaking spots on track outside the DRS zone. Vettel made a lot of overtakes there in 2012 because he lacked the straight line speed and it was vere fun to watch. :)

        1. HAHAHA remember that race… it was really fun

      2. I don’t mind the chicane that much really, but I think having the pit entry in the middle of the chicane is really asking for collisions – didn’t Vettel and Schumacher almost collide there 2011 or 2012 when Schumacher went for the pits?

        I think the pit entry should be towards the end of the straight between Blanchimont and the Chicane on the right (maybe before the breaking zone so that both drivers entering the pits and those continuing have the same speed). There is enough space, and it would be a lot less dangerous.

          1. As I am kinda new to F1, how was the old pit entry and why did they change it?

        1. yeah – changing the bus stop chicane was a good idea because it gave another spot to overtake but they should have kept the old pit entry. as you say the new one is just asking for trouble.

  6. Well in that case I think Ricciardo is gonna be constantly ‘ticked’ off at red bull!

  7. I agree with the CotD, Red Bull have been so good, I’m fascinated to see how solidly they’ll have stamped their names into the history books once their time at the top comes to an end. What I think will be a major factor is how they respond to the rule changes from 2014 onwards. Their wins have come almost completely during the period of rules stability from 2009 to 2013 so it could be argued that they’ve managed to make the best use of this set of technical regulations. The real challenge will be repeating that success without the stability of rules which favour those who are already doing a good job.

    But this is why I find the booing (and the defense of the booing on here) so utterly depressing and infuriating. F1 is about the pursuit of technical excellence. If a team is successful they should be applauded for their success, not booed. It’s not WWE where your favourite character might get a good script written for them to beat the favourite. This is sport, where the best win. If you don’t want to see the best winning, then go do something else. Sport is not for you.

    1. But this is why I find the booing (and the defense of the booing on here)

      I doubt you’ll find anyone on here that’s actually defending the booing. Even those that write Vettel off as Helmut Marko’s ‘favoured son’ instead of recognising his obvious talent aren’t defending the booing.

    2. “But this is why I find the booing (and the defense of the booing on here) so utterly depressing and infuriating. F1 is about the pursuit of technical excellence. If a team is successful they should be applauded for their success, not booed.”
      I totally agree with this part, the rules are much stricter than back in the Schumacher/Ferrari era so there ‘dominance’ is really impressing!

  8. Jaime Alguersuari is linked with a test for Panther Racing in IndyCar at the end of the season, and maybe a race seat in 2014. That’s would be great, he is a good driver, but F1 will remain an unfinished business for him the young spaniard.

    1. I feel that he did does have what it takes to be successful in F1. But maybe just in the right place at the wrong time. Incidents like Korea when he held up Vettel in qualifying caused him to have problems with Helmut Marko (surprise, surprise!) and I’m not aware of any other problems publicly but we don’t know what happened behind closed doors.

      If he is indeed successful in IndyCar, I could see him returning to F1 if he has the sponsors and the chance. But this entirely depends on what team he competes with, etc.

      1. He was like Vergne, but not that good in the wet, and not good at outscoring his teammate.

        1. Yeah, I couldn’t put it better. But I can’t help but think that he was brought into F1 prematurely, he was only 19 at the time. (I’m not going to bring a certain young Russian into this discussion though.)

          I never really rated Buemi that highly and since they were pretty evenly matched for most of the time, that really said it all. But he did show some potential. If I’m really honest, I don’t think we’ll be seeing him back in F1 again. Not unless he gets some major sponsorship and/or does really well in IndyCar (IF that’s where he’s going).

  9. Regarding the COTD, though not particularly fond of any one team being too dominant on track and in the record books, Red Bull and Vettel have earned their rewards. I totally agree it is incumbent on the other teams to step up and compete. Everything in life is cyclical and Red Bull cannot stay on top forever. Let’s see who will step up!

  10. I’m sure KImi will stay at Lotus.

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