2011 Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand Prix

I love the fact that drivers and teams must actually think when to push and when to take care of their tires.

on the other hand...it's F1! they should be pushing from start to finish!
 
Well that clears it up, although it wasnt something I was really concerned with.

Also, I 'unsupport' drivers and teams as well I guess. Always a pleasure to see Hamilton struggle. The guy seems to think he's owed something and wants it delivered on a silver platter.

Fix't.

But seriously, Hamilton is the one who think that he should be in Vettel's shoes and not Vettel, I'll admit that he's gotten better with age but he still need to tone it down a bit. As for Alonso, he is merely frustrated with the pace of the car which is completely understandable and I'm not sure how that can be interpreted to mean he believes that he is owed something?
 
there is a big difference in wanting the underdog to win, and wanting the favorite to fail miserably...

You're right, they are different, if related concepts. I do like some of the frontrunners, too, Jenson, for example (and don't give me this "Hamilton is better" stuff, i won't have any of it), even if i like the concept of underdogs. Still, you were the one who brought up Kubica as if my dislike for HAM, VET and ALO would only be based on their success, in which case, it would, as the football example shows, be the same as rooting for the underdog. The difference stems from the fact that my dislikes are based on other facts than success alone, THE FINGER for example.
 
The difference stems from the fact that my dislikes are based on other facts than success alone, THE FINGER for example.

You dislike a man because of a celebratory gesture? It's not like he's doing the L-gesture the TG hosts do. I would understand if it was somehow making fun of the drivers he's beaten, but it doesn't...

Back to the race at hand. If it wasn't for his stonking drive and Buttons satnav malfunction in the pits, Webber would be winning the 'donkey of the race' award by miles. How can he make such a stupid comment in the post race press conference. As much as I like the guy, but that was a colossally stupid thing to say and IMHO shows quite some disregard for the team. What he was practically saying is that he's happy that his employer missed out on a win and extending their lead. I understand his thinking - every race driver is happy, if the team mate gets beaten, preferrably by himself, but he's expected to represent the team interests and from a teams perspective it is a good thing to be running away with the championship. If he want's equal status in the team, blatantly ignoring their interests in a press conference is not the way to go. Also one shouldn't forget that the team members get their share from the winnings. Telling the world that you find it good that the team lost 7 points is certainly not the best way to make friends.
 
this thread has stopped being about china...
 
Actually, i don't only support drivers. I conciously "unsupport" as in don't like and don't want them to succed, four drivers (the silver-spoon-in-their mouth golden boy trio of VET, HAM, MSC and eyebrow man). That does not mean that i'll go into crazy conspiracy theories or want them to die in a firey accident, but it does mean i'll cheer when they make a mistake and I want them to finish behind their teammate, ideally in a frustrating 11th place, just out of the points.

See I'm like that except I'll support everyone except vettel.
 
You dislike a man because of a celebratory gesture? It's not like he's doing the L-gesture the TG hosts do. I would understand if it was somehow making fun of the drivers he's beaten, but it doesn't...
You missed the "for example" part. But it seems like making a point out of not liking Vettel to most of the Germans on this board seems to be time wasted. Which is another reason why i don't like him (even if it's something that's not his fault): The "Sieg Heil" coverage of his wins on both RTL and in the German press is creeping me out and is amping up to even beating the "Schumacher channel" german pay TV offered back in the day. AFAIK it consisted of the whole race from MSC's onboard with special MSC-centric commentary.
 
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Just watched the replay. What a race!! Non stop excitement at every position in the field. The constant fight for a podium position between 4 different teams. Couldn't have asked for anything more. And now we have a real race for points. What a result.
 
You missed the "for example" part. But it seems like making a point out of not liking Vettel to most of the Germans on this board seems to be time wasted. Which is another reason why i don't like him (even if it's something that's not his fault): The "Sieg Heil" coverage of his wins on both RTL and in the German press is creeping me out and is amping up to even beating the "Schumacher channel" german pay TV offered back in the day. AFAIK it consisted of the whole race from MSC's onboard with special MSC-centric commentary.

I only chose Vettel as an example, because he seemed to get the most flak lately. So far most of your reasons were things that don't really have to do anything with the man himself. *shrug*
Just trying to understand it. I think he's rather likekable in contrast to people like Rosberg for instance, who comes across a bit more distant. Hell even the Schu is a bit more relaxed these days than he was in his best days. Speaking of coverage. I must admit I think the RTL coverage is much better than in the Schumacher-days, now with 6 Germans on the grid. Of course they still prattle the hell out of everything their golden boy does, but so does the Beeb with Ham and Button - that's just the way it is. I think its much less hype than it was when Schumacher dominated the crap out of F1 - that's when it really was insufferable. Too bad I have no chance to see BBC, Brundle and DC are much more enjoyable than the German peeps.
 
Just watched again, brilliant from start to finish

I just cant understand webber though. In quali and at the start of the race that car looked like he hadnt bothered to set it up. He didnt move very far from his 18th grid position at the start and he had no speed in the car for quali. Yet, come second half of the race its completely the opposite and he's literally hit a fricken warp factor 5 button on his steering wheel. Absolutely drive of the day once you take a look back at his progress. The tv pictures tended to concentrate on other people and then all of sudden, bam, webber 3rd.
 
on the other hand...it's F1! they should be pushing from start to finish!

No not really. For example last year.
Last years bridgestones were great tyres. Mainly because the tyres were developed during the tyre wars. Even the softer compound lasted for lap after lap and the drivers had to take care of their set only at the end. Last year was a excelent season we saw 4 drivers fighting for the championship until the last race. But almost every race when the race entered the final laps drivers were more focused on saving their tyres rather than pushing hard. Basicly what Pirelli has done is listened to the fans and they accelerated the tyre wear. Wich is good because drivers can still push and they still have to take care of the tyres. From a drivers point of view little has changed but for the spectator it's brilliant.

All the drivers have to do is to adapt to the faster wearing tyres.
This is Formula 1 so the drivers should be able to adapt to the new tyres. They're some of the best drivers in the world after all. :)
 
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Just watched again, brilliant from start to finish

I just cant understand webber though. In quali and at the start of the race that car looked like he hadnt bothered to set it up. He didnt move very far from his 18th grid position at the start and he had no speed in the car for quali. Yet, come second half of the race its completely the opposite and he's literally hit a fricken warp factor 5 button on his steering wheel. Absolutely drive of the day once you take a look back at his progress. The tv pictures tended to concentrate on other people and then all of sudden, bam, webber 3rd.

That's because he was the only one starting on the harder (the sh*t) tires, so he was going nowhere in the first laps. Since he didn't use ANY of his softer tires in quali, he was also the only driver with three brand-spanking new ones, so once he could switch to softer tires, he could really let it fly.
 
Fix't.

But seriously, Hamilton is the one who think that he should be in Vettel's shoes and not Vettel, I'll admit that he's gotten better with age but he still need to tone it down a bit. As for Alonso, he is merely frustrated with the pace of the car which is completely understandable and I'm not sure how that can be interpreted to mean he believes that he is owed something?

I expect they probably all think they should be in Vettel's car :p

And there's the rub, really. They're all egotists and all believe they're the best and tbh they have to. But it's how they display that attitude to the public that impacts upon whether we like certain drivers or not. When things dont go Alonso's way he whinges very pubicly and loudly. Remember his hissy fit at Valencia 2010? Hamilton isn't above all that either, he can be a petulant ass sometimes as well. Which is why I like guys such as Button, Kovalainen, and Hakkinen back in the day. Guys who just keep their heads down and get on with the racing.
 
Which is why I like guys such as Button, Kovalainen, and Hakkinen back in the day. Guys who just keep their heads down and get on with the racing.

Very much agreed. Except that Hakkinen really gave Schumi a real run for his money, and back then without TV coverage of F1 (i was only 12 back in 98) the only reports i got were from motoring related magazines and the newspapers. Reading the race report made me wish i could watch the damn races between the 2 fastest people of the late noughties. Kovalainen is just stomped upon in his McLaren days, but i think he looks much happier in Team Lotus. And add Kubica to that list.

Lastly as for my general dislike for Hamilton, it's due to his PR approach, he is just a corporate drone. But his driving, holy fuckballs at times...
 
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