After yesterday’s Qualifying session SUT was given a five-place grid penalty and received two penalty points on his Super Licence for blocking GRO in Q1. (RIC has a 10-place grid penalty following an unsafe release from his third pit stop in the Malaysian race.)
Revised grid: ROS, HAM, BOT, PER, RAI, BUT, MAS, MAG, ALO, VET, HUL, KVY, RIC, VER, GUT, GRO, MAL, KOB, BIA, ERI, CHI, SUT.
(My GridBids picks are BUT, ROS, HAM, VET & KOB.)
Tyre compounds this weekend: prime=medium, option=soft
The top 9 cars are all starting on the used options, the tyres on which they set their fastest qualifying times. Behind them, everyone’s on options except VET and SUT.
ROS leads everyone away on the formation lap – slow start from HAM and PER, but they all get off the false grid
01/57: HAM inside his teammate to take P1 from ROS
ROS fights back – almost contact
VER has a puncture
02: HAM, ROS, MAS, PER, BOT, BUT, ALO, HUL, RAI, VET
VET pits; “crazy, that Lotus guy – don’t know who it was; absolutely mental”
03: DRS enabled
GRO falling back; currently P19
04: ROS fastest lap 1:40.566
05/57: HAM f/lap 1:40.544
HAM, ROS, MAS, PER, BOS, BUT, HUL, ALO, RAI, VET
06: Radio for HAM – “looking after left front”
Radio for ROS – “we have the alternative strategy” – longer first stint?
MAL takes P14 from GUT
07: VET (on primes) all over the rear of RAI
08: SUT pits – slow stop
KOB past ERI for P18
09: RIC dives down the inside of MAG but runs wide
KVY attacking RIC for P12
10/57: HAM, ROS, MAS, PER, BOT, BUT, HUL, ALO, RAI, VET
BUT inside BOT; BOT fights back; BUT takes P5
HUL follows BUT through; takes P6 from BOT
11: BOT pits, as does KVY
BOT rejoins P16; KVY P19
RIC harrying MAG for P10; eventually makes it past
12: PER steals P3 from MAS
13: ALO pits from P7; bit slow with the rear right; rejoins P15, behind KOB
VET still on the tail of RAI
SUT pulls his Sauber off track and retires
Replay shows he tangled with BIA
14: MAS and RAI pit
Radio from VET – DRS not working
BIA pits
15/57: HAM, ROS, PER, BUT, HUL, VET, RIC, MAL, BOT, MAS
Incident involving cars 99 (SUT) and 17 (BIA) under investigation – causing a collision
Radio from RIC asking for team to tell VET to let him past
RIC passes VET for P5
16: RAI f/lap 1:40.145
HUL attacking RAI – takes P12
17: PER pits, as does VET
Yet to pit: HAM, ROS, BUT, RIC, MAL
18: ROS inside HAM but HAM cuts back and hangs on to P1
BUT pits
19: ROS has another go at HAM – they’re fighting hard
Drive-through penalty for BIA for causing collision
VET f/lap 1:39.312
20: HAM pits from P1; new options; clean stop
Radio for ROS – push hard for 2 laps then we go to prime tyre
PER takes P6 from ALO
BIA pits to serve drive-through penalty
21: BUT uses DRS to take P8 from RAI
22: ROS pits from P1; primes; rejoins well behind HAM
VET closing on RAI for P9
23: MAS on the tail of his teammate – will he ask team to tell BOT to let him pass?
Given MAS didn’t let BOT pass in the previous race, can he expect BOT to let him through?
24: Radio from MAS – BOT is losing his rear tyres
MAS has HUL and PER right behind him
VET attacking RAI but can’t make a pass
25/57: HAM, ROS, BOT, MAS, HUL, PER, ALO, BUT, VET, RAI
Radio from BOT, asking to box
26: BOT pits but team don’t appear to be ready
HUL attacking MAS for P3; HUL runs off track slightly; PER dives past his teammate
27: RIC closing on RAI
Radio from BUT – DRS not working
28: Big lockup from RIC as he tries to pass RAI
PER takes P3 from MAS
29: MAS and ALO pit
RAI locks up as RIC is all over the rear of the Ferrari
30/57: HAM, ROS, PER, HUL, BUT, VET, RAI, RIC, BOT, MAS; retirements: VER, SUT
BOT closing on the RAI, RIC battle over P7
31: BOT glides past RIC under braking but takes to the grass to avoid RAI
32: RIC finally finds a tiny gap, gets inside RAI to steal P7
BOT attacks RAI too; also makes it past
33: HAM leads ROS by 8.5secs; PER is another 25secs further back
34: RAI pits; rejoins P13
BOT easily past RIC for P7
Radio for HAM – good on fuel, no need to lift & coast; HAM replies he’s looking after his tyres
35/57: HAM, ROS, PER, HUL, BUT, BOT, MAS, RIC, ALO, MAL
PER pits; rejoins just behind ALO
36: VET pits – slow stop – problem with left rear
HUL and BUT pit together; RIC pits too
ERI pulls off and retires his Caterham
37: VET takes P9 from MAL
RIC attacking RAI again
38: RIC round the outside of RAI to take P12
RIC easily past MAG for P11
HUL f/lap 1:38.785
39: MAS pits; rejoins P10, behind RIC
40/57: HAM, ROS, BOT, PER, HUL, ALO, BUT, VET, RIC, MAS; retirements: ERI, VER, SUT
RAI takes P11 from MAL
41: MAL and KVY pit
GUT off at Turn 1 – replay shows MAL exiting the pit lane T-boned GUT – barrel rolled in mid-air!
Fortunately GUT is moving in the cockpit – no sign of a marshal, but the car is barely off the racing line in Turn 1 – should be an immediate deployment of the Safety Car, but no sign 🙁
GUT getting out of the car – still no marshals
Safety Car deployed
42[SC]: HAM and ROS pit
MAG has parked his McLaren off track
ALO and RAI pit
43[SC]: Replay on-board with GUT – wow!
BBC describe it as a racing incident but I don’t see how it’s anything but MAL’s fault
44[SC]: Lapped cars (4, 10, 13, 17) may now overtake
GUT’s car has been cleared
45/57[SC]: HAM, ROS, PER, HUL, BUT, VET, RIC, MAS, BOT, ALO; RAI, KVY, GRO, MAL, KOB, CHI, BIA; retirements: MAG, GUT, ERI, VER, SUT
Bunching up behind the SC has helped the 3-stoppers and wiped out the lead of HAM and ROS
46[SC]: Incident involving cars 13 (MAL) and 21 (GUT) under investigation – causing a collision
Radio for HAM – Paddy Lowe tells HAM “bring both cars home” but doesn’t say they can’t race each other
Radio for ROS – repeating the message he gave HAM
Lights off on the SC – coming in at the end of this lap
47: HAM sprints away but ROS sticks to his tail
ROS attacking HAM
10 second stop-go penalty for car 13 (MAL) – causing a collision
BUT runs wide; VET steals P5
RIC past BUT too
48: HAM f/lap 1:38.037
MAS inside BUT to take P7
Radio from HAM – no power! (although he just set the fastest Sector 1 time)
ALO lining up BUT
49: HAM still holding off ROS
HAM f/lap 1:37.306
DRS enabled (after SC period)
RIC stuck to the rear of his teammate (VET)
50/57: HAM, ROS, PER, HUL, VET, RIC, MAS, BOT, ALO, BUT
ROS f/lap 1:37.020
RIC inside VET in Turn 1 – takes P5
BIA has already been lapped again
51: Radio from VET – I’m really slow down the straight
HUL holding up RIC and VET
VET takes a look inside RIC but RIC holds on to P5
52: ROS dives down the inside of HAM again
HAM pushes ROS as far as he can
53: ROS still has DRS and continues to attack HAM
HAM is on primes; ROS on options
Will Mercedes tell them to go easy? And if they do, will the drivers listen?
54: RIC past HUL for P4
Radio for HAM – you can use overtake (boost) on the exit of corners when you need it
55/57 = 3 laps left: HAM, ROS, PER, RIC, HUL, VET, MAS, BOT, ALO, RAI
ROS is 16.5secs ahead of PER
Radio for PER – excellent job, focus
HUL still fending off VET
56: BUT is coasting – that’s both McLarens retiring
VET defends but MAS put a wheel on the dust, squeezes past to take P6
BUT finally makes it back to the pits; into the garage; retires in his 250th Grand Prix 🙁
57/57 = final lap: HAM holding ROS at bay
BOT closing on his teammate – will MAS hold on to P7?
HAM takes the chequered flag, with ROS right behind him
PER brings the Force India home for P3; RIC hot on his tail
Radio for HAM – nice work! HAM says “we didn’t quite have the pace” (over ROS) – “we’ll have to work on that”
Radio for ROS – fantastic job; great racing.
Provisional result: HAM, ROS, PER, RIC, HUL, VET, MAS, BOT, ALO, RAI; KVY, GRO, CHI, MAL, KOB, BIA
DNF: BUT, MAG, GUT, ERI, VER, SUT
Great reaction as the Mercedes drivers get out of their cars, jostling each other
Good to see in the podium prep room HAM and ROS still enjoying the battle
Brian Johnson (of AC/DC) interviewing the guys on the podium for the 900th Grand Prix
Lewis – great race
Nico – “hate coming second to Lewis” 🙂
Sergio – “been a while since my last podium”
My GridBids picks are BUT (DNF), ROS (P2), HAM (P1), VET (P6) & KOB (P15).
“You scored 51 points for this race and have a total of 166 points this season. You ranked 110 for this race and 73 overall.”
“Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the next round in China and given three penalty points on his Super Licence for causing the crash which sent Esteban Gutierrez rolling out of Sunday’s 2014 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.” [source: FIA]
Interesting – they gave MAL a 10 second stop-go penalty during the race, so I wonder if they decided on this penalty at the same time and just didn’t announce it, or if it was added after the race ended?
From that same FIA update: “Marussia’s Jules Bianchi was also deemed to have caused a collision during the race following an early clash with Gutierrez’s Sauber team mate Adrian Sutil, which led to the German retiring with damage. Bianchi was given two penalty points, in addition to the drive-through penalty he served during the race. The Frenchman now has four penalty points on his Super Licence – 12 points lead to an automatic one-race ban.”