United States Grand Prix – Race

Ugh! Looks like the only available feed is on NBC – no TSN, so no BBC commentary. Having to listen to people that think NASCAR is the pinnacle of motorsport is going to end with me screaming at the TV. 🙁

Thanks to a tweet from TSN – they have live coverage @ http://www.tsn.ca/live/player.aspx

Quite a few penalties applied after Qualifying:
*BUT has a 3 grid-spot penalty for overtaking under a red flag in FP1
*PIC has a 5 grid-spot penalty for a gearbox change
*GUT has been given a 10-place grid penalty for blocking the Williams of Pastor Maldonado and will now start 20th on the grid.
*CHI received a drive-through penalty for impeding both Maldonado and Force India’s Adrian Sutil. The Briton must serve the penalty during the first five laps of the race.
Grid: VET, WEB, GRO, HUL, HAM, ALO, PER, KOV, BOT, RIC, DIR, ROS, MAS, VER, BUT*, SUT, MAL, VDG, BIA, GUT*, CHI*, PIC*.

Air temperature 30°C; track 35°C; wind 2.6m/s; humidity 57%
Tyre choices: prime = hard (orange lettering), option = medium (white).

HAM reported a long brake pedal as he headed to the grid; the team have been bleeding the system on the grid.

VET leads everyone away on the formation lap
Long hold on the grid

01/56: GRO past WEB into Turn 1
HAM past WEB too
SUT off – big impact
Safety Car deplyed
SUT out of the car OK, long before marshals arrive

02[SC]: VET, GRO, HAM, WEB, HUL, PER, ALO, BOT, DIR, RUC
GUT pits
Replay shows SUT moved across and tapped MAL but it was SUT who went off

04[SC]: SUT’s car finally removed
SC in at the end of this lap
Radio for VET reminding him to think about the restart
VET backs everyone up and then sprints off

05: Green flags
HUL and PER battling over P5

06: VET fastest lap 1:44.250
CHI pits to serve his drive-through penalty

07: VET f/lap 1:44.097
DRS enabled
MAL has a broken front wing but he’s staying out

08: Black & orange flag for car 16 (MAL) — that’s the race stewards telling him he has to pit immediately

09: MAL pits for new nose section and switches to prime tyres

10/56: VET, GRO, HAM, WEB, HUL, PER, ALO, BOT, DIR, RIC; retirements: SUT
Radio for MAS telling him where he’s a bit slower than ALO

11: VET f/lap 1:43.812
ALO takes a look at PER

13: VET leads GRO by 4.4secs
Radio for HAM telling him to look after his tyres; HAM says let me focus
WEB takes P3 from HAM – that looked fairly easy

14: Radio for HAM updating him on HUL closing on him

15/56: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, HUL, PER, ALO, BOT, DIR, RIC
Radio for HUL telling him that HAM has been told to manage his pace – “you’re racing him”

16: VET f/lap 1:43.680
BUT has a look at taking P13 from MAS

17: VET f/lap 1:43.626

18: VET f/lap 1:43.347
KOV pits – early stop – will he have to 2-stop?
Radio for VET telling him “go for distance, not speed”; “going as far as we can is more important than going as fast as we can”

19: VET f/lap 1:43.252 – expect another telling-off from his engineer
ROS past RIC for P10

20/56: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, HUL, PER, ALO, BOT, DIR, ROS
BUT still tucked up behind MAS
Radio for BUT – box this lap

21: BUT pits – that looked uncomfortable as the car rocks on the jacks
Radio for MAS – push now, big lap

22: MAS pits – clean stop – rejoins still ahead of BUT
ALO all over the tail of PER

23: PER pits, followed by DIR
ROS and RIC pit too

24: Top 7 yet to pit; all still on options
BOT pits from P7 – rejoins P10
Radio for HAM – maximise these laps so we’ll have an easier time on the primes

25/56: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, HUL, ALO, VER, GUT, PER, BOT; retirements: SUT
WEB f/lap 1:42.787
VET laps CHI

26: GUT slips inside VER to take P7
HAM pits from P4 – rejoins P6

27: ALO pits – rejoins P7 just in front of PER

28: VET pits – released right alongside CHI – they run side by side until CHI’s box – ought to be a penalty for unsafe release but they won’t penalise Red Bull/VET
HUL pits

29: WEB pits – quick stop
GUT fights but ALO takes P6

30/56: GRO pits from P1 – he was the last to make their stop
VET f/lap 1:42.486
Radio for HAM – HAM says he needs more info but a few laps ago he told his engineer to let him focus
PER past GUT for P7

31: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, HUL, ALO, PER, GUT, BOT, DIR
WEB f/lap 1:42.468

32: ROS easily past KOV for P11
KOV pits – new front wing

33: WEB f/lap 1:42.166
WEB rapidly catching GRO
Radio for VET reminding him the cars behind him (GRO and WEB) are on newer tyres

34: ROS makes a good move on DIR – takes P10
DIR tries to fight back but ROS pulls away
WEB within DRS range of GRO
BOT closing on GUT

35/56: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, HUL, ALO, PER, GUT, BOT, ROS
GUT making some moves which verge on weaving – will he be penalised again?
BOT spots a gap and takes P8 from GUT – brave move!

36: WEB seems to have dropped back from GRO

37: WEB has dropped back another second – does he have a problem?
GUT pits from P9 – 2nd stop – scrubbed options – rejoins P15

38: WEB f/lap 1:41.683
WEB reporting brake vibration

39: MAS pits – drops from P12 to P16
How many others will 2-stop?

40/56: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, HUL, ALO, PER, BOT, ROS, DIR; retirements: SUT
VET f/lap 1:41.102

41: RIC takes a look inside DIR but can’t make it stick

42: NBC commentators discussing Indy, missing some close racing – this is why they don’t deserve to have F1 in the USA!

43: WEB still 2secs behind GRO – is he biding his time?

44: ALO closing up on HUL – could challenge for P5 in a couple of laps
RIC dives inside DIR and takes P10

45/56: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, ALO, HUL, PER, BOT, ROS, RIC
ALO sees a gap and steals P5 from HUL

46: Radio from VET – “there’s something else going on” ??
Slo-mo of VET – is there a problem with the rear suspension or diffuser?

47: WEB f/lap 1:40.710
WEB inside 1sec of GRO so he has DRS again
ALO closing on HAM, and BUT closing on DIR
MAS inside MAL for P15

48: Incident involving cars 20 and 10 (PIC and HAM) under investigation – ignoring blue flags

49: Drive-through penalty for car 20 (PIC) – ignoring blue flags

50/56: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, ALO, HUL, PER, BOT, ROS, RIC
GRO has picked up his pace but WEB is sticking with him
DIR pits – late stop – drops from P11 to P17

51: KOV squeezes inside MAL
GUT harrying VER, who in turn is right on the tail of BUT

52: Radio for WEB – use all the KERS in Turn 11
PIC serves his drive-through penalty
ALO backed off from HAM

53: GRO f/lap 1:40.445
Radio for WEB – if that doesn’t work, try using KERS in the last turn

54: WEB falling back from GRO
Radio from WEB – trouble with the rear tyres
Radio for VET – another reminder not to push too hard because of “a problem”

55/56: VET f/lap 1:39.856
VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, ALO, HUL, PER, BOT, ROS, RIC; retirements: SUT
BUT all over the rear of RIC
Good pass by BUT – takes P10

56 = final lap: VER lining up his teammate (RIC) now
HUL all over ALO – HUL tries to pass but ALO hangs on to P5

VET takes the chequered flag – 12th win this season, 8th consecutive victory
GRO holds on to P2, followed by WEB
HAM ahead of ALO and HUL

GUT spun, just avoids beaching the car on the final lap
Replay shows he was dicing with VER – there was contact

VET doing doughnuts again!
Radio from VET – “Speechless, we have to remember these days”; “there’s no guarantee they will last. I love this team. Incredible, I love you guys”

Incident involving cars 12 and 18 (GUT and VER) under investigation – causing a collision

Provisional result: VET, GRO, WEB, HAM, ALO, HUL, PER, BOT, ROS, BUT; RIC, VER, MAS, GUT, KOV, DIR, MAL, BIA, VDG, PIC, CHI.
DNF: SUT.

Next race = Brazil, November 22-24.