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[Hexagram]

Alonsos Ferrari wasn't 'wide enough' in Canada when Lewis waved goodbye while he drove past on the straights.

It would've been tougher in Suzuka, but it's not fair to say 'for certain' either way.

I seem to remember a Toro Rosso who was leading setting up that pass!

[Hammer278]

There were backmarkers in Suzuka too! Who's not to imagine a scenario where a Lotus sets up Alonso and Lewis at the exit of Spoon curve leading to the back straight....ahhh what a nice picture in my head right now.

Ah well, next year maybe. When McLaren sort out their freakin gearbox!!!

[vaptin]

There were backmarkers in Suzuka too! Who's not to imagine a scenario where a Lotus sets up Alonso and Lewis at the exit of Spoon curve leading to the back straight....ahhh what a nice picture in my head right now.

Ah well, next year maybe. When McLaren sort out their freakin gearbox!!!

It's one thing to drive past on a straight though,

Although I think Alonso had pace in hand anyway, obviously we don't have much to go on seeing as Lewis broke shortly after Alonso got the hurry up, but what happened the lap after that (can't really remember).

[Hammer278]

Nah not the straights, it would've gone through 130r as well with those two! For me, a battle between Lewis and Fernando have replaced the 'epic-ness' of Michael VS Mika of those days. Rare and when they do happen, it makes my race no matter who wins it.

[vaptin]

Nah not the straights, it would've gone through 130r as well with those two! For me, a battle between Lewis and Fernando have replaced the 'epic-ness' of Michael VS Mika of those days. Rare and when they do happen, it makes my race no matter who wins it.

Well maybe next season without the DDD.

[spankyham]

Had a chance to go through some data from the race on the weekend along with some other information I have. Even if you don't agree with my thoughts and opinions on it, you might still find some of the information interesting.

Raw Speed
=========
For me the fastest car was the Red Bull, but their overwhelming dominance is over.
Second fastest clearly the McLaren.
Third the Ferrari.
I get this from the sector times.
Sectors 1 and 2 (fastest times) went like this:-
1st Webber
2nd Vettel
3rd Button
Sector 3
1st Button
2nd Alonso
3rd (here's a surprise) Algeuersuari!

You can see the dominance of RB in these raw potential speed figures, and, you can see that Button/McLaren had the wood on Alonso/Ferrari in every sector. This is also supported by the fact that Button's fastest lap was 3 tenths faster than Alonso's fastest lap and they both set their fastest laps on lap 53.

As a Ferrari fan I don't mind this because I think this was our worst track. But it does make our 3rd place the result of a very good drive by Fernando and strategy that doomed Jenson before the race started.

Was Lewis Catching Fernando?
==========================
At the risk of the wrath of the usual suspects, I'm pretty sure not. Here's why. The laps I've analyzed are from when Lewis and Fernando pitted, Lewis on 22 and Fernando on 24, up until when Lewis said his GB failed, not 100% sure, but I know it was after Jenson was back on track from his pit, which was lap 39.

If you compare their times, you can see Lewis definitely put in some fast laps, but Fernando did respond. He showed that he could put together faster laps than Lewis (before his gearbox problems). Here are the facts that I think back up what I'm saying.

From laps 26-39 (After both Lewis's and Fernando's out-lap on new tyres and up to when Lewis's gearbox failed) there were 14 laps. Of those 14 laps Lewis was faster on 8 and Fernando was faster on 6. Also, Fernando turned his engine down, and I suspect that was on lap 31 or 32.
For me, even more compelling data to backup that Fernando had Lewis completely under control were two key lap times. These both happened during the "Lewis charge" and before his gearbox failed.

On lap 30, Fernando did a 35:214. Lewis, on his charge, did his fastest on lap 35 (way less fuel on board then) and it was only a 35:182 and only 32/100's better than Fernando's time on lap 30 (remember with 5 laps heavier fuel load!). As a guide, one lap of fuel equates to a little over a 10th of a second.

McLaren Not the Only Car with Problems
==================================
McLaren and Lewis have had their gearbox problems, that's nothing new. But, you'd also have to think is this a fundamental weakness and can it be fixed with another gearbox. Is it just a case of bad luck or a "Friday" gearbox? I'm 99.99% sure its not bad luck or a bad gear box and also that it's nothing fundamentally wrong. Egads, this gearbox has been reliable for both drivers all year! So why is this happening nor and only to Lewis? Don't expect me to answer it, if I could, McLaren or someone similar would be paying me heaps to watch F1. What I will say, if this was a car mechanical problem, and it was occurring after an accident (well, 2 accidents), I'd be looking very closely at the chassis and alignments. Either way, I'm sure McLaren will sort it out.

So who's the other car with problems? Well, although it's been stated, it's pretty much gone unnoticed Ferrari have had major ECU problems in the last two races. And, they have hit at really bad times. During Qualifying in Singapore (remember Fernando was called to Box to reboot the unit) and, it happened again just before the start of the race. With no chance to reboot, Fernando had to guess the clutch position - he did a pretty good job really. It's not the same, but in a similar vein, anyone who remembers racing with a dead clutch, or driving trucks with the old dog-clutch (pre syncro ring days) would have an idea of how difficult that would have been for him.

From a Ferrari point of view this is a worry because it's a little out of their control, but I'm sure they will sort it out.

[FRAFPDD]

Your gettin really good at these coded Alonso love posts. OOohh look how Alonso beautifuly inherited a podium spot from Kubicas loose wheel, oooh look how the Mclaren was the second fastest car and Alonso beat Hamilton, oooooh do i think Hamilton would of caught Alonso, of course not, nobody catches Alonso, it is Alonso. Starting to grind my gears tbh.

[vaptin]

Your gettin really good at these coded Alonso love posts. OOohh look how Alonso beautifuly inherited a podium spot from Kubicas loose wheel, oooh look how the Mclaren was the second fastest car and Alonso beat Hamilton, oooooh do i think Hamilton would of caught Alonso, of course not, nobody catches Alonso, it is Alonso. Starting to grind my gears tbh.

This "would Hamilton catch Alonso thing" shouldn't even be a line of discussion on here, as Hamilton broke down, no body was that concerned about Alonso and Vettel in Bahrain, but its Alonso/Hamilton.

[FRAFPDD]

Your gettin really good at these coded Alonso love posts. OOohh look how Alonso beautifuly inherited a podium spot from Kubicas loose wheel, oooh look how the Mclaren was the second fastest car and Alonso beat Hamilton, oooooh do i think Hamilton would of caught Alonso, of course not, nobody catches Alonso, it is Alonso. Starting to grind my gears tbh.

This "would Hamilton catch Alonso thing" shouldn't even be a line of discussion on here, as Hamilton broke down, no body was that concerned about Alonso and Vettel in Bahrain, but its Alonso/Hamilton.

Well it is, stupid Alonso fans need every chance they can to mention when their guy finishes in front of "our" guy, i think everyone here saw the race, its a poor attempt at hiding how they need to reassure themselves so often that it was Alonsos skill purely and solely that puts him in these positions, funny that you dont think Hamilton would of caught him AFTER he loses a gear isnt it, theres no chance of being made to look a fool then. Im not bothered, ive got 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016....... to wait for the next WDC's of Lewis's, aint Nando getting old now?

[f1ea]

Your gettin really good at these coded Alonso love posts. OOohh look how Alonso beautifuly inherited a podium spot from Kubicas loose wheel, oooh look how the Mclaren was the second fastest car and Alonso beat Hamilton, oooooh do i think Hamilton would of caught Alonso, of course not, nobody catches Alonso, it is Alonso. Starting to grind my gears tbh.

Dont be silly.
Alonso had the best car at Monza and the team nailed the result, despite HEAVY challenge from Button. You can say Jenson got the best out of the Mclaren and nearly pulled a solid upset (in Monza!).

In Suzuka (simmilar track from Turkey), Ferrari werent expecting to be faster than Mclaren (they did improve a little), but according to Spanky's data, and actually thinking about it... maybe they were behind Mclaren on pace alone. Lewis even Q'd ahead Alonso! and Jensons simply had the wrong tires. Look were Massa ended up!

You have to realise mclaren screwed Jenson's strategy, and Lewis smahsed his car. Scheisse happens. Tough luck.
Alonso simply got the best from the car and stayed lucky.

But in any case, get used to your ears grinding, cause You're getting pounded!! haha

[FRAFPDD]

Your gettin really good at these coded Alonso love posts. OOohh look how Alonso beautifuly inherited a podium spot from Kubicas loose wheel, oooh look how the Mclaren was the second fastest car and Alonso beat Hamilton, oooooh do i think Hamilton would of caught Alonso, of course not, nobody catches Alonso, it is Alonso. Starting to grind my gears tbh.

Dont be silly.
Alonso had the best car at Monza and the team nailed the result, despite HEAVY challenge from Button. You can say Jenson got the best out of the Mclaren and nearly pulled a solid upset (in Monza!).

In Suzuka (simmilar track from Turkey), Ferrari werent expecting to be faster than Mclaren (they did improve a little), but according to Spanky's data, and actually thinking about it... maybe they were behind Mclaren on pace alone. Lewis even Q'd ahead Alonso! and Jensons simply had the wrong tires. Look were Massa ended up!

You have to realise mclaren screwed Jenson's strategy, and Lewis smahsed his car. Scheisse happens. Tough luck.
Alonso simply got the best from the car and stayed lucky.

But in any case, get used to your ears grinding, cause You're getting pounded!! haha

According to spankys AGENDA, ill fix it for you...... Whats your last sentence supposed to mean, getting pounded? Do you mean the small number of points Alonso has over Lewis? Or you just a little excited for Alonsos first season beating Hamilton?

[vaptin]

Your gettin really good at these coded Alonso love posts. OOohh look how Alonso beautifuly inherited a podium spot from Kubicas loose wheel, oooh look how the Mclaren was the second fastest car and Alonso beat Hamilton, oooooh do i think Hamilton would of caught Alonso, of course not, nobody catches Alonso, it is Alonso. Starting to grind my gears tbh.

This "would Hamilton catch Alonso thing" shouldn't even be a line of discussion on here, as Hamilton broke down, no body was that concerned about Alonso and Vettel in Bahrain, but its Alonso/Hamilton.

Well it is, stupid Alonso fans need every chance they can to mention when their guy finishes in front of "our" guy, i think everyone here saw the race, its a poor attempt at hiding how they need to reassure themselves so often that it was Alonsos skill purely and solely that puts him in these positions, funny that you dont think Hamilton would of caught him AFTER he loses a gear isnt it, theres no chance of being made to look a fool then. Im not bothered, ive got 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016....... to wait for the next WDC's of Lewis's, aint Nando getting old now?

There was no chance to talk about it, as Hamilton broke down before he pulled up to Alonso, Alonso did have pace and its possible Hamilton would either not catch up/ not be able to get past him.

It was also brought up by Hamilton fanboys here, about how Hamilton's reliability issue ruined seeing him overtake Alonso.

[scotty]

Apologies if repost:

No gearbox penalty for Hamilton in Korea

Lewis Hamilton will not be forced to take a five-place grid penalty for the forthcoming Korean Grand Prix, although his new gearbox suffered a broken third gear during today's Japanese Grand Prix.

Hamilton incurred a five-place penalty for today's race after replacing the gearbox he used in Singapore for a fresh unit. However, because he used a replacement 'box for the race, a clause in the regulations allows Hamilton to begin a new four-race gearbox cycle in Korea, meaning he will start the weekend with a brand new unit.

The clause was originally introduced to cut down on the number of gearboxes teams have to bring to races. Without it, teams would bring three gearboxes for each car (one for Friday practice, one for Saturday/Sunday and one as a replacement), but teams now use the Friday gearbox as the replacement should the race gearbox be damage.

Part of regulation 28.6 a) of the Sporting Regulations reads: “Should a driver use a replacement gearbox he will drop five places on the starting grid at that Event. ... Any replacement gearbox ... will only be required to complete the remainder of the Event in question.”

Hamilton explained after the race that he was using only fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh gears in order to avoid the damaged third gear entirely and ensure he reached the end of the race. Even with this strategy he was unsure of reaching the flag however.

“I was running normally, then downshifted into third, accelerated and lost the gear,” he explained. “After that, I had to rely on just fourth gear and above. I didn't think the car would make it – it was making a lot of strange noises, but I kept my fingers crossed, tried not to shift too much and looked after it to the flag.

“I'm thankful and so happy that I least saw the end of the race – it's my first finish for a long time.”

Hamilton heads to Korea in a fortnight's time with 192 points to his name, 28 fewer than leader Mark Webber.

[f1ea]

According to spankys AGENDA, ill fix it for you...... Whats your last sentence supposed to mean, getting pounded? Do you mean the small number of points Alonso has over Lewis? Or you just a little excited for Alonsos first season beating Hamilton?

[FRAFPDD]

Your gettin really good at these coded Alonso love posts. OOohh look how Alonso beautifuly inherited a podium spot from Kubicas loose wheel, oooh look how the Mclaren was the second fastest car and Alonso beat Hamilton, oooooh do i think Hamilton would of caught Alonso, of course not, nobody catches Alonso, it is Alonso. Starting to grind my gears tbh.

This "would Hamilton catch Alonso thing" shouldn't even be a line of discussion on here, as Hamilton broke down, no body was that concerned about Alonso and Vettel in Bahrain, but its Alonso/Hamilton.

Well it is, stupid Alonso fans need every chance they can to mention when their guy finishes in front of "our" guy, i think everyone here saw the race, its a poor attempt at hiding how they need to reassure themselves so often that it was Alonsos skill purely and solely that puts him in these positions, funny that you dont think Hamilton would of caught him AFTER he loses a gear isnt it, theres no chance of being made to look a fool then. Im not bothered, ive got 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016....... to wait for the next WDC's of Lewis's, aint Nando getting old now?

There was no chance to talk about it, as Hamilton broke down before he pulled up to Alonso, Alonso did have pace and its possible Hamilton would either not catch up/ not be able to get past him.

It was also brought up by Hamilton fanboys here, about how Hamilton's reliability issue ruined seeing him overtake Alonso.

Well then the Hammilton fanboys are even bigger R-tards. If they said it like that of course. Fanboys and crafty little "ooh this is a neutral post" turdballs reall get on my nerves on here, mainly cause theres loads of them.