25/09/2011
NEWS STORY
It's all very well X, Y and Z claiming that they are targeting a win today or aiming to spoil Sebastian Vettel's party, but let's consider some facts.
The German, who starting from pole position for the eleventh time this season, has won 8 of this season's 13 Grands Prix. Only once has he failed to make it the podium, and even then he finished fourth, while of the 325 points on offer so far this year he has taken 284, that around 87%.
Therefore, it's not really about what X, Y or Z might do, it's more about what Vettel fails to do.
Today, not only can the German become the youngest F1 driver to win two world championship titles, he can join that elite list of drivers - the others being Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jack Brabham, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Fernando Alonso - to win back-to-back titles. Fact is, whether he does it today or not, it's going to happen.
With an all Red Bull front row Vettel will be feeling pretty confident, and while Mark Webber would very much like to take his first win of the year, and maybe take just a little shine off the German's achievements, it really looks as though today's race is Seb's to lose.
Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, other than wanting to spoil the party, and maybe help McLaren close in on its Austrian rival in the Constructors' Championship, are locked in their own in-house battle, with the 2009 champ appearing to have the edge of late. Still smarting from recent media criticism, continued attention from the stewards and a frustrating outings in Belgium and Italy, Hamilton has a lot of ground to make up. Yesterday's cock-up in Q3, which saw him miss the chance of a final run due to a refuelling error, will have done little to lighten his mood, while we should not forget what happened here last year. Therefore, ignoring the battle with the Red Bulls, keep an eye on the Woking wonders' in-house due this afternoon.
No such problems at Ferrari where Fernando clearly rules the roost, however, with so much expected of the red cars this weekend, can the Maranello outfit salvage something today following a disappointing qualifying performance.
As ever, the behind Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, the Mercedes have been the 'best of the rest' this weekend, however, never before has the gap to the leading six been quite so vivid, the German cars consistently well over a second off the pace.
That said, Nico Rosberg, following a frustrating outing in Italy will be further motivated by his teammate's ever improving form while Schumacher is clearly having the time of his life.
There will be added pressure on the Mercedes duo today from their rivals at Force India, both Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta - frustratingly for the fans - sitting out Q3 in order to save some fresh rubber for today's race.
Things were looking quite good for Sauber yesterday until Kamui Kobayashi's disagreement with the notorious kerbs at the chicane. Though the Swiss outfit appears to be following BMW's example and failing to continue development in the closing stages of the season, it could do well here, especially with tyre strategy such a serious consideration.
No doubt Sam Michael would dearly love to bring his career with Williams to a close with a handful of points however, barring a major shock, this is highly unlikely.
There's motivation for the Toro Rosso duo today not only in terms of retaining their seats for 2012 but also the opportunity to take points from Sauber, the Swiss outfit just 6 points ahead of its Italian rivals.
Renault has had the weekend from hell. Having scrapped its new bodywork package after Friday's sessions, the Enstone outfit was left further frustrated yesterday when Bruno Senna's late charge, which saw the Brazilian make it through to Q2, saw his teammate drop into the danger zone and thereby eliminate at the first hurdle. Both drivers are talking up their hopes of a points finish but this is highly unlikely.
Having announced that it is to extend its contract with Renault, not to mention finally getting KERS, Lotus will simply have to bide its time and look forward to the new season.
Virgin, like its rivals at HRT, will be merely happy to get both its cars home in one piece, like Lotus, the Russian outfit hoping that planned changes for 2012 will result in a marked improvement.
Tyre options today are soft (prime) and supersoft (option), with Pirelli claiming that the difference between the two is around 0.8 - 1s. The Italian manufacturer believes that three stops will be the norm though some (Sauber) could settle for two, maybe even one. Unusually, wear isn't the problem here instead it's the heat that gives rise to concern.
As ever, Turn 1 could decide the race, a number of drivers keen to get past Webber. Also, let's not forget that since the first race here in 2008 the Safety Car has made an appearance on no less than five times. An appearance this evening, other than anything else would also assist drivers in terms of conserving fuel.
As the field prepares to head off on the warm up lap, the air temperature is 31 degrees C, while the track temperature is 34 degrees. It's 20:00 and the humidity is 62%. Despite earlier warnings, it is now believed that there is no chance of rain.
Di Resta, who as we said didn't go out in Q3, is starting on the prime tyre, his teammate option for the softer rubber. Alguersuari, Kobayashi, Glock, d'Ambrosio and Liuzzi also on the harder tyre.
The grid forms behind Vettel, all the drivers working like crazy to generate more heat into their tyres.
A brilliant start from Vettel while Hamilton gets alongside Webber. However, the Australian slams the door on the McLaren. Rosberg misses the first chicane and gains a position. Hamilton, who lost out to Webber and falls back into the pack, is now behind his Monza nemesis Schumacher.
At the end of lap 1, it's: Vettel, Button, Alonso, Webber, Massa, Rosberg, Schumacher, Hamilton, Sutil and di Resta. Ricciardo is crawling back to the pits his front wing having been damaged.
After two laps Vettel leads by 3.5s, Button under intense pressure from Alonso. Elsewhere, Trulli is up to seventeenth following an amazing start.
Once the DRS is enabled Hamilton wastes no time in using it to his advantage, the McLaren driver sweeping past Schumacher and setting off after Rosberg 2s up the road. Hamilton aided, in all honesty, by a mistake from Schumacher, the German slow out of the preceding corner.
As Vettel extends his lead to 5.5s, Hamilton closes in and makes short work of Rosberg, the Mercedes no match for the Woking cars here.
After 4 laps, behind the top ten it's: Perez, Maldonado, Barrichello, Senna, Buemi, Kobayashi, Trulli, Alguersuari, Petrov and Kovalainen.
Out front Vettel posts a new fastest lap (53.910), as Hamilton closes to within 4.1s of Massa who is all over Webber. Vettel now leading by 7s… this is a massacre.
Vettel is consistently lapping 1.2s quicker than Button as Webber complains that his KERS isn't working very well.
Webber closes in on Alonso, however, Massa is just 1.4s behind, though he has Hamilton breathing down his neck. Sutil, on primes, is lapping quicker than his option shod teammate.
At the end of lap 9, Rosberg is the first driver to make a regular stop. That seems might early and confirms Mercedes fears as to its tyre wear. The German rejoins in sixteenth behind Kobayashi.
Webber makes a bold move down the outside to take Alonso, the Spaniard tries to fight back but his tyres are shot. Indeed, the Ferrari driver dives into the pits. Schumacher and Senna also pit.
As Hamilton battles with Massa for fourth, Glock pulls to the side of the track the first retirement of the day. Replay shows he spun and clouted the barrier with his rear.
Massa and Hamilton both pit at the end of lap 11, as do Sutil, Maldonado and Buemi. Massa rejoins in eighth just ahead of Hamilton. The McLaren driver immediately goes on the attack, the Brazilian resists and they touch, the Englishman damaging his front wing.
Webber pits at the end of lap 12 as the cameras reveal that Hamilton has a damaged wing and Massa a puncture. The Brazilian subsequently pits, his tyre in shreds, while the McLaren driver continues.
As the Stewards announce that they are investigating the incident, Schumacher goes quickest in S1. Hamilton subsequently pits for a new nose, rejoining in fifteenth.
At the end of lap 14, Vettel and Button both pit, elsewhere Schumacher tries a move on Kobayashi but is forced wide over the kerbs.
After the first round of stops, Vettel still leads with Button second. Di Resta is third but has yet to stop, as has fourth placed Perez.
The stewards, who include Heinz-Harald Frentzen, hand Hamilton a drive-through, as Sutil follows Schumacher past a struggling Kobayashi. Perez pits, thereby promoting Schumacher to seventh.
On lap 16, Hamilton serves his penalty, the Englishman rejoining in twentieth, appropriately behind Massa.
On fresh rubber Vettel posts yet another fastest lap (53.289), as Maldonado battles with Trulli .
Kobayashi finally pits at the end of lap 16, as Barrichello battles Petrov. Indeed there are battles throughout the field.
"Your lap times look good relative to Sutil who is on new tyres," di Resta is told, the Scot still running in third.
Running right behind the Force India is Alonso who needs to get past and start closing the 15s gap to Button. The Scot isn't making things easy for the Ferrari driver but why should he. Eventually, the Spaniard uses his DRS to full effect. However, in the meantime, Webber has closed to within 1.7s of the Force India.
Di Resta pits at the end of lap 19, rejoining in eighth, right behind his teammate, on the option tyres. Back on track Webber is now 3.2s down on Alonso who is 29.5s down on the race leader.
Massa makes short work of Buemi, however, a couple of cars behind is Hamilton who is over Kobayashi like a rash. The Englishman asks his team if points are still up for grabs, he is assured that they are.
As Hamilton nails Kobayashi courtesy of his DRS, Vettel posts another fastest lap (53.113). Also, the stewards are investigating an incident involving Trulli and Alguersuari. The two touched, the Lotus driver incurring a puncture.
Webber, 1s down on Alonso, is lapping over a second quicker.
At the end of lap 22, Rosberg makes his second stop of the afternoon, promoting Mercedes teammate Schumacher to fifth. The German rejoins in ninth.
As Webber closes in on Alonso, Vettel posts yet another fastest lap (53.101). Ominously, the German is told that fuel consumption is not a concern.
"Drive at the maximum," Alonso is told as Schumacher makes his second stop of the day. Elsewhere, a mistake from Massa allows Hamilton to slip through without the need for an invitation. The Brazilian subsequently pits as does Alguersuari who is serving a drive-through.
As Massa exits the pitlane teammate Alonso enters it, the Spaniard's tyres clearly shot. The Spaniard rejoins in fourth as Hamilton makes short work of Barrichello to take tenth.
On new rubber, Schumacher (ninth) goes quickest in the first two sectors, crossing the line at 53.096 to post a new fastest lap. Meanwhile, Sutil moves aside to allow his quicker teammate through to take fifth.
Massa (fifteenth) posts a new fastest lap (52.550) as he sets about closing the gap to Maldonado.
Rosberg is all over Sutil with Perez enjoying a grandstand view and ready to pick up the pieces should it end in tears. It almost does, Rosberg runs wide allowing Perez to close right in. The Mexican passes but the German soon reclaims it. Schumacher closes in and attempts to make a move on the Sauber, but it goes wrong and he is into the wall. The German appears to misjudge the distance/speed difference between his car and the Sauber, they touch, launching the Mercedes slightly into the air before heading off into the barriers. Schumacher, who was lucky not to take his teammate also, climbs from his car.
The Safety Car is deployed while the debris is cleared from the track, and Webber, di Resta, Sutil, Rosberg, Perez and Hamilton are amongst those to dive into the pits. Next time around, at the end of lap 30, Vettel and Button both pit, as do Kobayashi and Petrov.
Behind the Safety Car, it's: Vettel, Button, Alonso, Webber, di Resta, Sutil, Rosberg, Perez, Hamilton and Barrichello.
"Remember the safety car rule," Vettel is told, "ten car lengths, ten car lengths".
Behind the leading ten, it's: Buemi, Massa, Barrichello, Kobayashi, Petrov, d'Ambrosio, Senna, Trulli, Liuzzi and Ricciardo.
The Safety Car pulls off at the end of lap 32, as Schumacher chats with his former boss Jean Todt in the paddock.
Race back on, Vettel heads into the distance, however, there are a couple of back-markers in front of Button. Further back, Webber catches Alonso totally off guard going into Turn 10, the Australian taking third with apparent ease. Replay suggests the Spaniard was just a little too early on the brakes.
As Vettel already enjoys an 8.9s lead, Hamilton almost runs into the back of Sutil, a whole heap of cars battling for sixth behind di Resta, the situation not helped by the back markers that are in the midst of it all.
Out front, as he is told that he might go to the end on his current set of tyres, Vettel posts another fastest lap (50.992), as he extends his lead to 11.9s. Elsewhere, Hamilton is still battling Sutil, as the two fight their way through the back markers. Eventually, Sutil all but stops to allow the McLaren through.
The stewards announce that Kobayashi is under investigation for ignoring the blue flags at the re-start and holding up Button.
Now Hamilton is behind fifth placed di Resta, the Scot wont be quite as obliging as his Force India teammate. Making full use of his DRS the Englishman sweeps past the Scot, subsequently setting about the task of closing the 13s gap to Alonso.
Kobayashi is handed a drive through, the Sauber driver currently running in fourteenth. Meanwhile, the earlier incident involving Rosberg and Perez in under investigation.
Kobayashi serves his penalty, dropping the Sauber driver to fourteenth, as Massa makes his fourth stop of the night.
"You're the fastest man on the track," Hamilton is told, "but be careful, we may need to make these tyres go long." The McLaren driver is currently 11.4s behind Alonso.
The stewards announce that while they will take no further action re the Rosberg/Perez incident, they will investigate the Schumacher/Perez clash after the race.
As the drivers watch their tyres it all goes a bit quiet, all the gaps holding steady.
As Maldonado pits, Hamilton is told that he will probably need to make another stop. Not the news the fifth placed driver will want to hear, with the field so tightly bunched. Indeed, he'd be doing well to finish in the points.
That said, at the end of lap 47 Webber pits, the Australian rejoining (on options) in fifth behind Hamilton. Maybe we are going to see some further action in the closing stages.
Next time around it is Button who pits as teammate Hamilton struggles - and fails - to hold off Webber. Button rejoins in third as his teammate enters the pitlane, his fifth stop of the day. The 2008 champ rejoins in ninth on the prime tyre.
Vettel pits at the end of lap 49, as do Kovalainen and Petrov. The world champion rejoins (on options) still leading, even though the Lotus is released in his path. Alonso has also pitted.
As Hamilton passes Perez for eighth, and Button posts a new fastest lap (50.400), it is clear that the stops work well for Alonso who is still running fourth.
Hamilton sweeps past Sutil for seventh, as Vettel posts a 48.688. Elsewhere, Trulli's night ends in a cloud of white smoke.
Rosberg isn't quite as obliging as Sutil when Hamilton closes in however, the Englishman is a man on a mission, with no time for niceties he sweeps past the Mercedes making full use of his DRS.
At the end of lap 53, it's: Vettel, Button, Webber, Alonso, di Resta, Hamilton, Rosberg, Sutil, Perez and Barrichello.
Hamilton nails di Resta, the Scot fully aware that his tyres are rapidly coming to the end of their 'sell by'. However, with Alonso 12.4s up the road, and just eight laps remaining, it's unlikely that the McLaren driver will make much more progress.
As Massa reels in Barrichello, Button posts a new fastest lap, the Englishman crossing the line at 48.454. The McLaren driver is 2s a lap quicker than Vettel… who appears to be in cruise mode.
Unseen, Massa has passed Barrichello, seemingly depriving Williams of a point in Sam Michael's final race with the Grove outfit. The Ferrari driver is on fresher tyres and could yet make up more positions.
In seventh place, Rosberg is losing ground to Sutil and Perez. As Vettel comers up behind a string of backmarkers, Button is informed and told to mount an attack. The gap now down to 6.5s.
Button loses time behind the two Williams as the Grove duo battle for eleventh.
With two laps remaining, and having finally cleared the Williams', Button is 5.6s down on the leader. Rosberg, has Sutil and Perez all over him.
Alguersuari is stopped by the side of the track, the Toro Rosso driver executing a carbon copy of Glock's incident.
A fantastically brave move from Massa sees the Brazilian pass Perez for ninth, the Ferrari driver sensing further points in the shape of Sutil. However, the German has Vettel in between himself and the Ferrari.
Vettel takes the flag, his ninth win of the season, and leaves himself just one point shy of that historic second title. Button is just 1.7s down on the winner but let's not forget that the Safety Car period wiped away Vettel's previous lead.
Mark Webber takes a well deserved third ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, the Englishman having made five trips to the pits this afternoon.
While Hamilton made five trips to the pits, one of them under the instructions of the stewards, Scot di Resta made just two, an extremely impressive performance from the Force India driver, especially considering the fact he has never raced here before.
Nico Rosberg holds off Adrian Sutil and Felipe Massa, while Sergio Perez takes the last of the points.
While we didn't get to see Vettel win his crown (again) we did get another cracking race in which the action was non-stop and spread throughout the entire field.
And somehow, it seems appropriate, and with no offence to the organizers in Singapore, it seems only fitting that Sebastian wins his crown at Suzuka a circuit which has witnessed so many legendary battles over the years, and seen so many of our champions come good.
All in all, a Singapore sizzler.
Check out our Singapore GP gallery, here.