Paul Henman formula1 Grand Prix of Canada – Race

Grand Prix of Canada – Race

There were a couple of incidents under investigation at the end of Qualifying yesterday.
Provisional grid: VET, HAM, LEC*, RIC, GAS, BOT, HUL, NOR, SAI*, MAG*, VER, KVY, GIO, ALB, GRO, PER, RAI, STR, RUS, KUB
SAI lost three grid places (and gained a penalty point on his Super License) for impeding ALB
LEC was not penalised for cutting the chicane
MAG will start from the pit lane after a gearbox change following him hitting the wall in Q2

Revised grid: VET, HAM, LEC, RIC, GAS, BOT, HUL, NOR, VER, KVY, SAI, GIO, ALB, GRO, PER, RAI, STR, RUS, KUB; MAG starts from the pit lane

Ahead of the drivers’ parade, it’s clear that the Mercedes mechanics have their work cut out to fix a hydraulic leak in HAM’s engine and get it ready in time for the start [tweet]
I just saw this tweet from the FIA – VET calls HAM “handsome” 🙂

It’s already warm in Montreal – an hour ahead of the race, the air temperature is 29°C; track 40°C
Update on HAM: car is rebuilt and ready to go, with 8 minutes to spare!

Cars have left the pit lane, and made their way around to the grid
Mercedes mechanics are bleeding HAM’s brakes
SkySports ask MAG how his car feels – “brand new” 🙂
HAM dashes to join the drivers line-up for the national anthem – everything seems a little hectic for him this weekend

VET leads away on the formation lap
HAM slow to move – passed by a couple of cars but HAM’s moving now and can reclaim P2
Radio from HAM – “anti-stall kicked in; I have a problem”
Track temperature is 51°C
HAM slow out of the hairpin; is that just to close up the pack and not sit on the grid too long
Radio for HAM – “you don’t have a problem”
Long hold before the green flag

01/70: HAM away cleanly, stays P2
Yellow flag in sector 1
NOR past VER just before the final turn

02: VET, HAM, LEC, RIC, GAS, HUL, BOT, NOR, VER, KVY, SAI, PER, GIO, STR, RUS, KUB, RAI, GRO, MAG, ALB
ALB pits – new nose
Replay shows he was squeezed between two cars into Turn 1

03: VET fastest lap 1:17.197

04: VET has opened a 2sec lead over HAM
VET f/lap 1:16.
SAI pits
Replay shows GRO collected part of ALB’s wing in his cockpit!

05/70: VET, HAM, LEC, RIC, GAS, HUL, BOT, NOR, VER, KVY, PER, GIO, STR, RAI, RUS, GRO, MAG, KUB, SAI, ALB
LEC f/lap
Radio for SAI explaining his pit stop was to remove debris

06: VET f/lap 1:16.535
VER closing right up on NOR into the hairpin

07: VER reclaims P8 from NOR
RAI pits

08: GAS pits from P5; hard tyres go on; rejoins P13

09: RIC pits; rejoins P11
NOR has hit the Wall of Champions, broken his rear right suspension
NOR pulls across the pit exit lane; his brake appears to be on fire
Double yellows but no safety car

10/70: VET, HAM, LEC, HUL, BOT, VER, KVY, PER, STR, GIO
Still yellow flags for NOR’s parked car

11: Replay of NOR – he didn’t hit the wall – it was probably the heat/fire

12: PER pits

13: VET laps KUB (P19)
RIC inside STR into the final turn to steal P7

14: VER is tucked up under BOT’s rear wing

15/70: VET, HAM, LEC, HUL, BOT, VER, RIC, STR, GAS, GIO, GRO, SAI, MAG, KVY

17: HUL pits from P4; rejoins P7
GIO grazed the wall

18: LEC f/lap 1:16.533

19: HAM slowly closing on VET – he’s just under 2secs back from the Ferrari
HAM locks up into the hairpin

20/70: VET, HAM, LEC, BOT, VER, RIC, HUL, STR, GAS, GIO, SAI, GRO, KVY, PER, RAI, MAG, RUS, ALB, KUB; retirments: NOR
Radio for VET – switch to plan B
Radio for LEC, same message

21: VER locks up into the hairpin

24: Radio from HUL, concerned about his gearbox

26: VET pits from P1; hard go on; rejoins P3

27: GIO lost the tail in Turn 1 and spun across T2

28: Radio for HAM – “we don’t have the gap, so we’re going to extend”
Radio from HAM – his tyres are done

29: HAM pits from P1; rejoins inches ahead of BOT
VET f/lap 1:15.333

30/70: LEC, VET, HAM, BOT, VER, RIC, HUL, STR, GAS, SAI
Radio for LEC – “we are going long; try to keep this pace”

32: PER and GRO make contact in Turn 1; both continue

34: LEC pits from P1; rejoins P4, just behind VER

35/70: VET, HAM, VER, LEC, RIC, BOT, HUL, STR, GAS, SAI, KVY, PER, GRO, MAG, ALB, RUS, KUB
HAM f/lap 1:15.234
RIC defends and holds off BOT

36: LEC easily past VER for P3

37: BOT attacks again but RIC holds on to P5

39: BOT attacks again and finally gets past RIC

40/70: VET, HAM, LEC, VER, BOT, RIC, HUL, STR, GAS, SAI, KVY, PER, GIO, GRO, MAG, ALB, RUS, KUB
HAM under 1sec behind VET

42: VET f/lap 1:15.208

43: Radio from VER – “brake pedal almost on the floor”

44: BOT f/lap 1:15.046

45: Radio for VET – “the numbers on the steering wheel are correct; take action”
BOT f/lap 1:14.933

46: STR pits; switches from hard to mediums; rejoins P10
HAM under 1sec behind VET again

48: VET loses the tail, cuts a corner; HAM saw a gap but VET rejoins straight back across the track
That was unsafe, surely?!

49: VER pits; softs go on; rejoins P5

50/70: VER, HAM, LEC, BOT, RIC, HUL, VER, GAS, SAI, STR, KVY, PER, RAI, GIO, GRO, ALB, RUS, MAG, KUB
Incident involving VET and HAM under investigation

52: HAM closing on VET again

53: VET f/lap 1:14.903
VER takes P5 from RIC

55/70: Radio from MAG, “This is the worst experience I’ve ever had in race car, ever.”; “None of us are happy about this pace, they stayed up all night to fix the car.”
MAG “I know, I know”
Gunther Steiner: “None of us are enjoying it. That’s enough now. Enough means enough.”

58: 5-sec penalty for VET for unsafe reentry to the track
VET f/lap 1:14.875

59: Radio for VET telling him about the penalty; “I didn’t see him” – seriously, where did you think HAM was?

60/70: VET, HAM, LEC, BOT, VER, RIC, HUL, GAS, SAI, STR, KVY, PER
RAI pits

61: Radio from VET, still whining about the penalty; “they’re stealing the race from us” – big baby!

63: ALB pits; pushed into the garage

64 LEC f/lap 1:14.356
SkySports suggesting HAM should pass VET but I think it would be a dangerous move – but it’s not worth it, VET could well lash out and hit HAM

65/70: VET, HAM, LEC, BOT, VER, RIC, HUL, GAS, SAI, STR

67: STR looking for a way round SAI
Radio for BOT – box

68: STR takes P9 from SAI
BOT pits
KVY steams inside SAI and steals P10

69: HAM under 1sec behind VET on track, so ~4sec ahead with the penalty applied

70 = final lap: LEC is only 6sec behind VET – I can’t believe
BOT f/lap 1:13.078

VET takes the chequered flag
HAM wins the race
LEC 6sec back, so he’s P3

VET on the radio still whining about the penalty

Provisional result: HAM, VET, LEC, BOT*, VER, RIC, HUL, GAS, STR, KVY; SAI, PER, GIO, GRO, RAI, RUS, MAG, KUB
DNF: ALB, NOR
*Fastest lap: BOT

Interviews:
HAM: “Not the way I wanted to win”
VET has stomped off, without doing the interviews, so that might lead to another penalty
LEC: “Hopefully a victory will come soon”
HAM sits on his car, catching his breath

VET finally leaves the Ferrari hospitality and walks back to parc ferme
VET swaps the #1 board and puts #2 in front of HAM’s car – what a big kid!
They’re called out onto the podium; VET does at least stand on the 2nd step
The QC Minister of Tourism almost presented the 2nd place trophy to LEC by mistake!

Why is Martin Brundle interviewing VET on the podium? He had his chance and chose to stomp off

I don’t understand why people are talking about “What was Vettel supposed to do once he was on the grass?” – What about what was Hamilton supposed to do? He couldn’t go around VET because of the wall. You can see onboard that HAM had to back off to avoid being hit by VET.
If it had been GRO or VER coming back on from the grass, I’m VET (and others) would be screaming at them.

“Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said Sebastian Vettel was the “moral winner” of the Canadian Grand Prix after a penalty relegated him to second.” [racefans.net]
Nice try but there’s no prize for “moral winner” … and no, you aren’t – your driver cut a corner and rejoined the circuit in a dangerous manner.

FIA posted “Vettel’s Canada penalty – The Stewards’ decision in full”
Fact: Car 5 left the track, re-joined unsafely and forced another car off track.
And that’s all that really matters.

5 thoughts on “Grand Prix of Canada – Race”

    1. “Ferrari appeal against five-second penalty”
      https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/48577479

      Team boss Mattia Binotto said: “We are not happy. From our perspective, he could have not done anything else and he was even lucky to remain on track. No intention in what he did, he was still ahead and he tried to keep his position and simple as that.”

      But it’s not about intent – it’s the action (cutting the corner and rejoining dangerously), which is indisputable and therefore the penalty is correct.

  1. I forgot to mention this in my pre-race news section:
    “Chase Carey says two current races will not appear on the 2020 calendar. The F1 CEO has confirmed deals with two new hosts: Vietnam and Zandvoort. But Carey says he does not want to expand the schedule beyond 21 races.”
    https://www.grandprix.com/news/two-current-races-must-go-in-2020-says-carey.html

    “Of the races on the 2019 calendar, there is doubt about the future of several, including Barcelona, Silverstone, Hockenheim, Monza and Mexico.”

  2. “Why Hamilton didn’t get a penalty in Monaco – but Vettel did in Canada”
    https://www.racefans.net/2019/06/12/why-hamilton-didnt-get-a-penalty-in-monaco-but-vettel-did-in-canada/

    “A clearer comparison between Vettel’s penalty last weekend and a more recent precedent can be found in last year’s Japanese Grand Prix. On that occasion Max Verstappen left the track fully in the chicane, and did not leave enough room for Kimi Raikkonen as he rejoined the racing line. […] Vettel, who was following Raikkonen at the time, had a clear view of the incident. And as he pointed out at the time, because Verstappen had gone off the track, it wasn’t Raikkonen who had to get out of the way. “He’s [Verstappen’s] off the track and he comes back and if Kimi just drives on they collide. But it’s not always right that the other guy has to move.” Unfortunately Vettel appeared to forget that point on Sunday.”

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