Hamilton has dominated the weekend again – quickest in all 3 free practice sessions and all 3 parts of Qualifying.
Bernie shows he’s not completely evil by flying in Jules Bianchi’s family.
Provisional grid: HAM, ROS, VET, RIC, RAI, BOT, KVY, MAS, VES, GRO; HUL, SAI, PER, MAL, ALO; BUT, ERI, NAS, MER, STE.
Tyre compounds this weekend: prime=medium (white lettering); option=soft (yellow)
Watching DC’s grid walk
Minute’s silence for Jules Bianchi; drivers and JB’s family form a circle around their helmets
Hungarian national anthem
Can’t be easy for the teams & drivers to just turn off that emotion and get on with the race
Side-by-side replay of HAM and ROS qualifying laps; HAM just a fraction quicker everywhere adds up to a 0.5sec gap at the end
Air temperature 22°C; track 41°C; a little overcast but no rain forecast
No penalties, so grid is: HAM, ROS, VET, RIC, RAI, BOT, KVY, MAS, VES, GRO, HUL, SAI, PER, MAL, ALO, BUT, ERI, NAS, MER, STE.
Team staff and mechanics clear the grid
HAM leads everyone away on the formation lap
Delayed start – MAS out of position (too far back from his box)
Another formation lap
01/69: VET and ROS make good starts
VET P1, ROS P2 into Turn 1
RAI past HAM too
RAI takes P2 from ROS
HAM runs off – through the gravel – rejoins way back, P10 behind MAS
Surprised not the hear from my dad that it’s a Ferrari 1-2 🙂
02: VET, RAI, ROS, BOT, KVY, HUL, RIC, PER, MAS, HAM, SAI, ALO, VES, BUT, MAL, GRO, MER, ERI, NAS, STE
Radio from HAM complaining ROS cut across his line
03: VET fastest lap 1:28.820
04: VT f/lap 1:28.664
HAM behind MAS – the Williams is very fast on the straight
05/69: VET f/lap 1:28.067
VET, RAI, ROS, BOT, HUL, KVY, RIC, PER, MAS, HAM, SAI, ALO, VES, BUT, GRO, MAL, ERI, NAS, MER, STE
06: HAM attacking MAS
Radio for KVY – do not hold up RIC
07: VET f/lap 1:27.976
MER early pit stop
08: KVY lets RIC take P6
BBC report MER pitted because of a problem with his headrest
10/69: VET, RAI, ROS, BOT, HUL, RIC, KVY, PER, MAS, HAM
RIC dives inside HUL into Turn 1
HAM around MAS – tyres rubbing
13: RIC dives deep inside BOT; takes P4
HAM inside PER into T1; takes P8
14: BOT and KVY pit (moves HAM to P6 behind HUL)
15/69: MAS and VES pit
BUT and GRO also pit
MAS serves his 5-sec stop-go penalty for being out of place on the grid
GRO released alongside MAS – unsafe release?
16: HUL pits, releasing HAM
ALO and SAI pit too
17: VET f/lap 1:27.913
HAM f/lap 1:27.695
PER and ERI pit
KVY past MAL
19: MAL and PER side by side – contact – PER spins
Check http://HasMaldonadoCrashedToday.com? 🙂
20/69: VET, RAI, ROS, RIC, HAM, BOT, HUL, KVY, VES, MAL
HAM pits; rejoins alongside BOT
HAM forces BOT wide in Turn 1
21: ROS pits
22: VET pits from P1
RIC pits – takes primes
HAM f/lap 1:27.013
23: RAI pits
HAM attacking RIC
24: VET f/lap 1:26.877
5-sec penalty for GRO for unsafe release
Drive through penalty for MAL – causing a collision
25/69: VET, RAI, ROS, RIC, HAM, BOT, HUL, KVY, VES, ALO, SAI, BUT, MAL, GRO, PER, MAS, ERI, NAS, STE, MER
28: MAL serves his penalty but complains “Come on, this is crazy – I did hit him, but…”
29: Radio from HAM asking for a bit more power in order to attack RIC
HAM round the outside of RIC – takes P4
HAM now has ROS ahead of him – I wonder how that’ll go
30/69: VET, RAI, ROS, HAM, RIC, BOT, HUL, KVY, VES, ALO, SAI, BUT, GRO, PER, ERI, NAS, MAS, MAL, MER, STE
31: MAS pits again
VES closing on KVY
32: PER pits
HAM is over 1sec/lap faster than ROS, so he’ll catch his teammate in ~10 laps
Mind you, HAM is on options and ROS is on primes, so ROS will have the advantage later
34: HAM f/lap 1:26.801
KVY pits
35/69: VET, RAI, ROS, HAM, RIC, BOT, HUL, VES, ALO, SAI, BUT, GRO, KVY, PER, MAS, MAL, ERI, NAS, STE, MER
Half distance and no retirements
36: GRO pits; serves his penalty
Radio for ROS informing him HAM will go to primes, expecting HAM to stop first
ROS says he’ll take primes too; told pit wall doesn’t agree
37: HUL pits
38: ALO and SAI pit
ALO had a puncture
VES pits
39: BOT pits
KVY attacking HUL
40/69: VET, RAI, ROS, HAM, RIC, BOT, HUL, KVY, VES, ALO, SAI, BUT, GRO, PER, MAS, MAL, ERI, NAS, STE, MER
41: Radio from RAI – odd sound, losing power
42: ALO is a lap down but passes RAI
43: HUL has lost his front wing; straight off at Turn 1, into the tyre wall
Virtual Safety Car deployed
ROS pits – takes on another set of primes – why?
HAM pits – has to take primes
44[SC]: VET pits, followed by RAI
Safety Car coming out of the pits, to replace the Virtual SC
Replay shows HUL’s front wing fail under load as he brakes for Turn 1
45[SC]: VET, RAI, ROS, HAM, RIC, BOT, VES, KVY, SAI, BUT, ALO, MAS, GRO, PER, MAL, ERI, NAS, STE, MER; retirements: HUL
Race control: SC will lead everyone through the pit lane to avoid debris
Radio for RAI – problem is MGUK(?), car will still run but with less performance
46[SC]: Everyone driving through the pit lane is confusing the FIA app, and it’s unreliable at the best of times!
47[SC]: Force India changes PER’s nose section, presumably a precaution in case his car has the same fault as HUL
Lapped cars are now passing the SC
48[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
49: Green flags
RIC all over the rear of HAM
ROS inside RAI – takes P2
RIC hits HAM – damage to HAM’s wing, RIC runs wide
HAM tries to hang on but he’s dropping back
BOT has a right rear puncture
50/69: Replay shows BOT clip KVY’s front wing, which is what caused the puncture
HAM down to P6 – why doesn’t he pit for a new wing and options?
51: RIC takes P3 from RAI
52: HAM pits
ALO all over the rear of countryman SAI
Incident involving cars 3 and 44 (RIC and HAM) under investigation
RIC f/lap 1:26.508
53: RAI pits; can’t get the car going, or was that a deliberate reset?; restart the engine
Incident involving MAL under investigation – speeding in the pit lane
RAI rejoins P17
54: Drive through penalty for HAM – causing a collision (with RIC)
Radio from RAI – still has the problem
55/69: VET, ROS, RIC, KVY, VES, SAI, ALO, BUT, GRO, MAS, MAL, HAM, ERI, NAS, BOT, RAI, PER, MER, STE, HUL
MAS pits, as does HAM to serve his drive-through
56: ALO past SAI into T1; ALO runs wide; SAI fights back but ALO claims P6
57: RAI in the pits again – pushed into the garage
VES pits
Radio from HAM – so sorry; told he’s only a few secs away from some points
HAM f/lap 1:25.871
58: Drive through penalty for MAL for speeding in the pit lane
BUT screaming up behind SAI; almost contact as SAI brakes for T1; BUT takes P8
59: MAL easily past SAI for P9
MAL pits to serve his penalty, moving HAM up to P12
60/69: VET, ROS, RIC, KVY, VES, ALO, GRO, BUT, ERI, SAI, NAS, HAM, MAS, MAL, BOT, MER, STE
Retirements: RAI, PER, HUL
Incident involving MAL (again!) – overtaking while SC deployed
61: SAI dropping down still – he’s fallen from P10 to P12 in one lap
Radio for SAI – retire the car, box this lap
HAM inside NAS for P10
62: SAI pits, pushed into garage
KVY slowly closing on RIC; will he say RIC is holding him up and ask to be let past?
HAM has passed ERI for P9; next target is BUT
63: HAM glides past BUT to take P8; GRO is about 5sec ahead
64: RIC crazy dive inside ROS into T1 – runs wide – breaks his front wing on ROS’s rear left
ROS has a puncture!
Incident involving cars 26 and 44 (KVY and HAM) under investigation – gaining advantage by running off track
65/69: RIC pits for a new front wing; rejoins P3
ROS limps back to the pits
66: 10-sec penalty for KVY for leaving track and gaining an advantage
HAM all over the rear of GRO
67: VET, KVY, RIC, VES, ALO, GRO, HAM, BUT, ROS, ERI
RIC f/lap 1:25.315
Incident involving RIC and ROS will be investigated
HAM inside GRO; takes P6
68: 10-sec penalty for MAL – overtaking behind the SC
RIC f/lap 1:25.016
69/69 = final lap: Incident involving RIC and ROS – no further action
RIC f/lap 1:24.821
VET takes the chequered flag; Ferrari’s 2nd win of the season
VET equals Senna’s total of 41 career wins, equal 3rd of all time behind Alain Prost (51) and Michael Schumacher (91).
Provisional result: VET, KVY, RIC, VES, ALO, HAM, GRO, ROS, BUT, ERI; NAS, MAS, MAL, BOT, MER, STE
DNF: SAI, RAI, PER, HUL
but of course there are penalties to be applied, especially for MAL
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene says “I like angry pizza.” Huh?
Great way to wrap up the first half of the season. There’s now a break until Belgium on August 22-24.
2015 F1 Standings – mid-season update