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The Best of the Rest

Last Updated on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 12:58 Written by Maurice Hamilton Wednesday, 9 November 2011 12:12

The World Championship may have been decided in Sebastian Vettel’s favour but, for that very reason, the top drivers at Yas Marina Circuit feel they have a point to prove.

Take Lewis Hamilton, for example. You could argue that the 2008 World Champion is the fastest F1 driver over a single lap. But, as the McLaren driver’s erratic progress has shown, the race lasts for an hour and 40 minutes and consists of more than just one lap.

Hamilton has had a nightmare year so far, highlighted by several collisions rather than his two excellent wins in China and Germany. Hamilton desperately needs to get his season and his reputation back on track; the best way to do it would be to drive the race of his life at Yas Marina Circuit on 13 November. There is no reason why he shouldn’t.

Part of Hamilton’s problem has been the exceptional form shown by Jenson Button in the other McLaren-Mercedes. Button seems to have become more relaxed and happy in direct proportion to Hamilton’s increasing state of unease and self-inflicted tension. As a result, Button has driven better than ever, the 2009 World Champion taking three wins, among them a superb victory in Canada as he snatched the lead from Vettel on the last lap of one of the most dramatic races of the season.

When it comes to never giving up, Fernando Alonso heads that category and can never be overlooked on any race weekend if his Ferrari proves to be even remotely competitive. More than anything else, Alonso comes to the Yas Marina Circuit wishing to expunge the memory of last year when the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the last race of the season and Alonso lost the World Championship to Vettel.

Mark Webber will have similar feelings when he takes to a track on which he, too, could have been crowned champion.  Webber has had a disappointing year, not because he has done anything particularly wrong or driven badly but simply because Vettel in the other Red Bull has raised his game to even greater heights. Webber has beaten Vettel in the past. He desperately wants to do it again this weekend and take a much needed first win of 2011.

The same argument applies to Felipe Massa, the Ferrari driver overshadowed by Alonso even though the Brazilian has qualified ahead of the double world champion on a number of occasions. With Massa’s future with Ferrari on the line, he must, at the very least, get onto the podium for the first time this season.

Massa is not alone in wanting to sign off on a high note. With the season heading towards its final race in Brazil on 27 November, many of the 24 drivers want to place their names in the reckoning for contracts for 2012. There is a lot to play for, particularly in the midfield where Sauber, Toro Rosso and Force India are locked in a fierce struggle over sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. That gives us another six drivers who will be fighting just as hard as the six at the front.

It’s a race not to be missed, no matter where you look.

Sebastian Vettel : Even Better Than Before’

Last Updated on Friday, 4 November 2011 10:10 Written by Maurice Hamilton Friday, 4 November 2011 10:10

Whatever you may think about Sebastian Vettel, surely there can be no argument that he deserves the 2011 title more than anyone else? F1 drivers rarely compliment each other but the generous praise from Vettel’s rivals say everything about his emergence as a worthy champion. And possibly a truly great one.

They might not have said that a year ago when Vettel came out on top at the eleventh hour, his 2010 season marked by alternating displays of excellence and petulance. Five wins had to be offset by the controversial incident with Mark Webber in Turkey, the basic error behind the Safety Car in Hungary and the misjudgement when trying overtake Jenson Button in Belgium. In my view, the turning point came during the Korean Grand Prix, three races from the end of the season here in Abu Dhabi.

If you recall, Vettel led that rain-lashed race. It was done and dusted, only for a rare engine failure to intervene a few laps from the end. His championship challenge, flimsy at times, appeared to have gone up in smoke and flames, along with the Renault V8. Red Bull team members braced themselves for toys to come flying from the pram.

But no. The Vettel who returned on foot to the pits was not only philosophical but also aware that his mechanics and engineers would be as disappointed as he was, particularly when Fernando Alonso went on to score his third win in four races and become championship favourite. “There’s two more races to go; let’s do this,” said Vettel. And they did.


Indeed, from that moment on, I think you can safely say he’s hardly put a foot wrong. Okay, there was the misjudgement when under pressure from Jenson Button in Canada, but I wouldn’t call that a hanging offence given the need to open more than one second before the final DRS zone, otherwise he was history no matter what happened. There have been crashes during practice in Turkey, Canada and in Japan. But his instant recoveries from those potentially destabilising moments have been the hallmark of a driver who has become fully at ease in his own skin, never mind within the cockpit of the Red Bull RB7.

The mistake would be to conclude that just because Vettel has won 10 races so far this year, it’s only because of Adrian Newey’s genius when designing the RB7. The fact is that the races have actually been closer than they look on paper and not many drivers could have pulled off those victories or, as has often been the case, secured pole with ’where the hell did that come from?’ laps reminiscent of Ayrton Senna.

The mention of Senna is appropriate. You need to remind yourself that Sebastian Vettel is only 24. We could be witnessing the birth of a true great. And, as an interesting aside, a very nice guy to boot. It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to watch a worthy double World Champion. And he’s not done yet.

KOREAN GRAND PRIX : RACE

Last Updated on Monday, 17 October 2011 12:54 Written by Maurice Hamilton Sunday, 16 October 2011 12:36

Failed to take pole, but never looked back

The world championships for drivers and teams may have been settled for 2011 but, judging by the hectic action during Sunday’s Korean Grand Prix, the fight continues through the field at every race.

Sebastian Vettel won by 12 seconds – nothing new there, since this was the 2011 World Champion’s 10th win in 16 races – but the next four drivers were covered by just over three seconds after 190 miles of racing.

Better than that, three different types of car – Red Bull, McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari – were engaged in this race-long struggle. That’s a sign of how close 2011 has been and how it will continue through India on October 30 and into the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 13.

Lewis; continued his much-needed improvement in form to finish 2nd

Vettel failed to take pole position for only the fourth time this season but the Red Bull driver snatched the lead from Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren on the first lap and never looked back. Hamilton, having won pole for the first time since the middle of last year, continued his much-needed improvement in form by successfully defending his second place from a relentless attack by Mark Webber’s Red Bull.

Fought wheel-to-wheel with Button to take 3rd

Webber, in turn, had to deal with Jenson Button, the McLaren driver recovering from a poor start that dropped him from third on the grid to sixth, behind the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. Button saw his chance during the first round of pit stops when Alonso lost ground as he rejoined in the middle of a bunch of slower cars and Massa was held up by traffic in the pit lane. Having found himself in fourth place, Button chased Webber but, try as he might, could not find a way through. It made a gripping spectacle as they fought wheel-to-wheel.

Meanwhile Alonso, having finally got ahead of his team-mate, turned in what he described as “20 qualifying laps” as the former World Champion hauled himself onto the tail of the Button/Webber battle. But Alonso’s incredible pace had taken its toll on his tyres to demonstrate that managing tyres has become such a fascinating and critical part of this season.

2011 has also been notable for intense battles through the mid-field, this 16th round of the championship being no exception. This time, Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari got the better of Mercedes, Force India and Renault as the young Spaniard finished a fine seventh to be voted ‘Driver of the Day’ by several commentators.

Only three of the 24 starters retired (two of them due to a collision when Vitaly Petrov crashed his Renault into the back of Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes). There is every reason to believe that the remarkable reliability of these sophisticated cars will continue when the pinnacle of motor sport provides yet another thrilling race at Yas Marina Circuit on November 13.

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