2012 Spanish Grand Prix Discussion Thread

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 13 May 2012, 14:42

Oh, he was not getting in the way of Webber, he was in front of him both physically and in track position. He was legitimately defending his place, and I for my part love it when rejects legitimately try to keep way stronger cars behind them.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 13 May 2012, 14:45

Minardi Man wrote:
seleucid23 wrote:What happened with Karthikeyan? I must have missed it

The usual, he was ungodly slow and got in the way of anybody and everybody who came up to lap him.

And then pulled over after about 20 laps on the main straight. The only thing of note in his race was being passed by Pic, which the TV cameras caught! That's right, we saw on live TV a competitive pass by a Marussia! :lol:

God, how about Maldonado though? Just unbelievable and so so nice to see. It was fitting that Sir Frank was there too, its just a shame Patrick Head wasn't there as well. They now need to back this result up with consistent points finishes through the year, much like Lotus are doing at the moment - they're only about 20 points off the constructors' championship lead! If Williams can maintain a similar sort of form, then they're looking at a good finish at the end of the year. Mercedes just can't do it, Sauber don't quite have the same pace, and Force India and Toro Rosso are too far back. The opportunity is there for the taking.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 13 May 2012, 14:48

Shadaza wrote:
dr-baker wrote:5 teams winning the first five races of the season - has to be a first. Pastor v Button for WDC, PLEASE...

How about Maldonado vs Button vs Rosberg vs Hamilton vs Alonso vs Vettel vs Webber vs Raikkonen vs Grosjean

Well, that would be cool, but I would just love to see it come down to my favourite driver versus my favourite team...

Shadaza · Post by **Shadaza** » 13 May 2012, 14:49

dr-baker wrote:
Shadaza wrote:
dr-baker wrote:5 teams winning the first five races of the season - has to be a first. Pastor v Button for WDC, PLEASE...

How about Maldonado vs Button vs Rosberg vs Hamilton vs Alonso vs Vettel vs Webber vs Raikkonen vs Grosjean

Well, that would be cool, but I would just love to see it come down to my favourite driver versus my favourite team...

Inevitably cars are going to drop out, I actually can't wait until Monaco.

Pieman · Post by **Pieman** » 13 May 2012, 14:49

Formula 1 is upside down. PASTOR MALDONADOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Paul Hayes · Post by **Paul Hayes** » 13 May 2012, 14:50

pasta_maldonado wrote:If 2012 can make Barcelona interesting then is there a possibility of an....... interesting Valencia?

Don't be insane, man.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 13 May 2012, 14:51

eytl wrote:Off topic, but anyway ... I'm relying on site author immunity ...

Is this a feelgood sporting day all 'round or will there be a sting in the tail? We've just had one mob in blue hold off the perennial red champions for their first victory in a very long time.

35 minutes down, Man City and QPR are 0-0 but Man Utd is 1-0 up on Sunderland ...

Title race? Meh.

On the other hand, Newcastle are down 2-0 to Everton and Tottenham are beating Fulham. REVERSE SCORE NEEDED!!! :evil:

And that's just half of it! Tonight at 7:45, Inter, Lazio, Napoli and Udinese all kick off fighting for Champions League. We're outsiders but on form with Strama at the helm. FORZA INTER!

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 13 May 2012, 14:52

kostas22 wrote:
eytl wrote:Off topic, but anyway ... I'm relying on site author immunity ...

Is this a feelgood sporting day all 'round or will there be a sting in the tail? We've just had one mob in blue hold off the perennial red champions for their first victory in a very long time.

35 minutes down, Man City and QPR are 0-0 but Man Utd is 1-0 up on Sunderland ...

Title race? Meh.

On the other hand, Newcastle are down 2-0 to Everton and Tottenham are beating Fulham. REVERSE SCORE NEEDED!!!

And that's just half of it! Tonight at 7:45, Inter, Lazio, Napoli and Udinese all kick off fighting for Champions League. We're outsiders but on form with Strama at the helm. FORZA INTER!

Tottenham can bathplug off :evil:

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 13 May 2012, 14:53

pasta_maldonado wrote:
kostas22 wrote:
eytl wrote:Off topic, but anyway ... I'm relying on site author immunity ...

Is this a feelgood sporting day all 'round or will there be a sting in the tail? We've just had one mob in blue hold off the perennial red champions for their first victory in a very long time.

35 minutes down, Man City and QPR are 0-0 but Man Utd is 1-0 up on Sunderland ...

Title race? Meh.

On the other hand, Newcastle are down 2-0 to Everton and Tottenham are beating Fulham. REVERSE SCORE NEEDED!!!

And that's just half of it! Tonight at 7:45, Inter, Lazio, Napoli and Udinese all kick off fighting for Champions League. We're outsiders but on form with Strama at the helm. FORZA INTER!

Tottenham can bathplug off

Amen to that. Up the Toon!

David AGS · Post by **David AGS** » 13 May 2012, 14:56

What a win, and what an entertaining race.

I still think had Hamilton not been put 2 the back, he would have won.

However, as im a McLaren fan, I have delighted that Maldonado won the race. Has been quick all year, and clearly the Williams is a good car, and the Renault engine is strong.

IMO too, it does not matter who you support, it is nice to see Williams return to the top step. I was annoyed in the mid 90's when all you heard is Williams have won again, but they have had a hard time of late and hopefully they can progress and get better. Put it this way, Williams and Renault are in business.

Kudos for Hamilton, battled hard to get some very crucial points which may come handy later in the season. Also a few kamikaze moves by Kobayashi was entertaining.

Bring on MONACO!

BTW, hope ARSENAL win!

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 13 May 2012, 14:56

I like Newcastle, but UP THE GUNNERS

WeirdKerr · Post by **WeirdKerr** » 13 May 2012, 15:11

Fire in the williams garage.............

AdrianSutil · Post by **AdrianSutil** » 13 May 2012, 15:17

Arsenal beating West Brom

come on the gunners!!

Fire in the garage?!

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 13 May 2012, 15:19

AdrianSutil wrote:Fire in the garage?!

Probably Fernando Alonso setting off a firework..

AdrianSutil · Post by **AdrianSutil** » 13 May 2012, 15:22

pasta_maldonado wrote:
AdrianSutil wrote:Fire in the garage?!

Probably Fernando Alonso setting off a firework..

Or Schumacher torching Senna's battered car..

WeirdKerr · Post by **WeirdKerr** » 13 May 2012, 15:25

reports of an issue with something to do with KERS chargers or something......

Post by **mario** » 13 May 2012, 15:25

eytl wrote:Off topic, but anyway ... I'm relying on site author immunity ...

Is this a feelgood sporting day all 'round or will there be a sting in the tail? We've just had one mob in blue hold off the perennial red champions for their first victory in a very long time.

35 minutes down, Man City and QPR are 0-0 but Man Utd is 1-0 up on Sunderland ...

By the sounds of things your comments were eerily accurate, albeit with the sting in the tail coming off the track - according to Sky Sports there has been a fire in the Williams pits (with some suggesting it was a fuel fire, and others a KERS fire), although the exact nature of the damage caused is unknown. http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/new ... t-Williams

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 13 May 2012, 15:47

Ai ai ai, fuego, fuego!

I watched the F1 Forum for the hour that it was on (hence my even longer absence from the internet after the five-and-out) and saw the fire taking hold. "A KERS problem" was reported, in that the unit had exploded, where it's mounted right next to the fuel tank. Presumably it's Senna's car, which had already been rear-ended by the Red Baron. Some people are, reportedly, injured.

Even so, I don't think that will detract from the massive party that Pasta says they're going to have tonight. A few gallons of the finest Rioja for that man, and we'll be scraping him off the tarmac of La Rambla tomorrow morning.

I could barely believe what I was seeing, either during the race or an hour after it. And, had it not been for the Possible Conspiracy Theory in Malaysia, we might have seen two improbably winners this year. Maybe we still could.

Post by **mario** » 13 May 2012, 15:54

dinizintheoven wrote:Ai ai ai, fuego, fuego!

I watched the F1 Forum for the hour that it was on (hence my even longer absence from the internet after the five-and-out) and saw the fire taking hold. "A KERS problem" was reported, in that the unit had exploded, where it's mounted right next to the fuel tank. Presumably it's Senna's car, which had already been rear-ended by the Red Baron. Some people are, reportedly, injured.

Even so, I don't think that will detract from the massive party that Pasta says they're going to have tonight. A few gallons of the finest Rioja for that man, and we'll be scraping him off the tarmac of La Rambla tomorrow morning.

I could barely believe what I was seeing, either during the race or an hour after it. And, had it not been for the Possible Conspiracy Theory in Malaysia, we might have seen two improbably winners this year. Maybe we still could.

Depends on whether there is a motorhome still left for Williams to hold that party in - according to the latest reports from Autosport the whole of the pit lane has been evacuated, with two mechanics (one from Williams and another from Force India) being treated in the medical centre, with the Force India mechanic being treated for problems related to smoke inhalation. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99589

AdrianSutil · Post by **AdrianSutil** » 13 May 2012, 16:01

That's a pretty big fire looking at the autosport picture! Hope everyone is alright.

Ferrim · Post by **Ferrim** » 13 May 2012, 16:14

This is how the championship standings look in an Excel spreadsheet with a 10-points based system that I use to keep track of the championship in "old money":

Vettel 24
Alonso 24
Hamilton 21
Webber 20
Räikkönen 19
Button 18
Rosberg 16
Grosjean 14
Maldonado 11.5
Pérez 8.5
Kobayashi 7.5
Di Resta 5.5
Senna 5
Vergne 1.5
Hülkenberg 1.5
Ricciardo 1
Massa 1
Schumacher 1

Red Bull 44
McLaren 39
Lotus 33
Ferrari 25
Mercedes 17
Williams 16.5
Sauber 16
Force India 7
Toro Rosso 2.5

It's not perfect, but it's good enough to see how close it is, and without tons of decimals.

AdrianSutil · Post by **AdrianSutil** » 13 May 2012, 16:17

I'm confused. What point scoring era are you using? Because if it's any system before 2010, Massa and Schumacher wouldn't have any points.

Ferrim · Post by **Ferrim** » 13 May 2012, 16:23

"a 10-points based system that I use"

It's 10-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.5-1-0.5. Very similar to the real one, but not exactly because for it to be exactly I would need to award 10-7.2-6-4.8... and it would look ridiculous to have so many decimal points.

Thunderer · Post by **Thunderer** » 13 May 2012, 16:25

kostas22 wrote: Up the Toon!

3-1 Defeat, but 5th place is not to be sniffed at. Unlike those idiots on wearside in red and white who don't seem to know what team to support. Groups/Pages on facebook and various forums are littered with sunderland supporters posting about Everton. :lol:

Anyways, back on topic. I still can't comment on Pastor's victory today as I'm still in shock.

Post by **mario** » 13 May 2012, 16:28

AdrianSutil wrote:That's a pretty big fire looking at the autosport picture! Hope everyone is alright.

It certainly does - thankfully, so far the reports coming in indicate that whilst a few mechanics have been injured, those injuries don't appear to be serious, although most of the equipment in the garage at the time seems to have been damaged.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 13 May 2012, 16:28

i just found this. it is physically exhausting to look at.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 13 May 2012, 16:30

I assume Frank Williams managed to escape from the fire OK?

pablo_h · Post by **pablo_h** » 13 May 2012, 16:55

I'd assume so, as the pics show senna's car. And even senna isn't near that car most of the time! :lol:

Seriously though, what a damper on the day. I do hope no one was working on the car and seriously injured.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 13 May 2012, 16:59

pablo_h wrote:I'd assume so, as the pics show senna's car. And even senna isn't near that car most of the time!

Seriously though, what a damper on the day. I do hope no one was working on the car and seriously injured.

Actually, they were, that's how the accident happened. They were extracting fuel from the car, and boom, explosion. At least seven F1 staff members were injured - 4 from Williams, one from Force India and an unspecified number (but plural) from Caterham. A mixture of smoke inhalation and minor burns were the resulting injuries. Not KERS related as first thought.

Chilled Phill · Post by **Chilled Phill** » 13 May 2012, 17:05

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18053192

Schumacher given a 5-place grid penalty for Monaco with regards to his accident with Senna.

Seems to the stewards don't believe it wasn't his fault.

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 13 May 2012, 17:11

Man, that pit fire is awful.

Sunshine_Baby_[IT] · Post by **Sunshine_Baby_[IT]** » 13 May 2012, 17:12

After watching today's race the only thing I can think is: I wish that Monaco grand prix was tomorrow!

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 13 May 2012, 17:17

Sunshine_Baby_[IT] wrote:After watching today's race the only thing I can think is: I wish that Monaco grand prix was tomorrow!

Nah man, having the grand prix where it is makes it the greatest day on motorsports calendar worldwide. Monaco GP in the morning. Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon. Coca Cola 600 at night. You can't beat that.

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 13 May 2012, 17:53

nome66 wrote:i just found this. it is physically exhausting to look at.

This makes me truly sad. Hopefully all the damage was to superficial parts that can be easily replaced, and that the team can win again at Monaco (Epicness rating = 1,000,000) I also hope no-one was injured by what looks to have been a quite nasty fire

Post by **mario** » 13 May 2012, 18:13

kostas22 wrote:
pablo_h wrote:I'd assume so, as the pics show senna's car. And even senna isn't near that car most of the time!

Seriously though, what a damper on the day. I do hope no one was working on the car and seriously injured.

Actually, they were, that's how the accident happened. They were extracting fuel from the car, and boom, explosion. At least seven F1 staff members were injured - 4 from Williams, one from Force India and an unspecified number (but plural) from Caterham. A mixture of smoke inhalation and minor burns were the resulting injuries. Not KERS related as first thought.

Caterham have now announced that four of their personnel are being treated for injuries, one of whom has a slight hand injury and the rest suffering from smoke related respiratory problems. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99599
[Although it is yet to be confirmed, there have been a few rumours that the Caterham staff who were injured were helping the Williams staff fight the fire, and video footage from the BBC suggests that at least a couple of Toro Rosso, Pirelli and HRT crewmen helped to beat back the fire, so if nothing else I guess that it is a welcome show of solidarity within the pit lane amongst the mechanics.]

Still, looking at the pictures shown above, this seems to have put a considerable downer on events - although everybody seems to be reasonably safe, it looks like a fair amount of equipment must have gone up in smoke and Bruno's car might well now be a write off (the car doesn't look like it has been too badly damaged and what damage there is may be superficial, but if it was a result of draining fuel from the tank then the fire would have started very close to Bruno's car).

Post by **Nuppiz** » 13 May 2012, 19:17

Brilliant weekend overall. Maldonado, of all drivers, from pole to win, Räikkönen 3rd and was almost challenging Alonso (admittedly on very worn tyres) in the end. Also, both Finnish drivers in GP3 got a podium!

That pit fire sure seems quite serious, and I hope nothing irreplaceable was lost. But, given that no serious injuries occured (at least, based on current information), I'll break a joke here: where was Heikki? He has previous experience of putting out fires...

Post by **Londoner** » 13 May 2012, 19:30

What in the name of hell did I just watch?! I've never wanted someone to win so much before, not even Button at Hungary in 2006. And unrejectification with a pole and a win. Simply doesn't get better than that! There's only one Maldonado!

Oh, and Michael Schumacher can go home. Stuff his opinions on the tyres and racing, THIS is the sort of racing everyone wants to see!

Pamphlet · Post by **Pamphlet** » 13 May 2012, 19:37

East Londoner wrote:Oh, and Michael Schumacher can go home. Stuff his opinions on the tyres and racing, THIS is the sort of racing everyone wants to see!

To be fair, the race itself was extremely boring. No excuse this time around.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 13 May 2012, 19:44

Pamphlet wrote:
East Londoner wrote:Oh, and Michael Schumacher can go home. Stuff his opinions on the tyres and racing, THIS is the sort of racing everyone wants to see!

To be fair, the race itself was extremely boring. No excuse this time around.

What race were you watching? I watched a measured, masterful drive by a young driver in a small team fighting with and holding off a multiple world champion in a team backed up by a massive car manufacturer, millions in funding and hundreds of staff. And then away from that a charging Hamilton, Kobayashi and Vettel making some excellent passes (the latter proving that he can overtake, something that I'd previously doubted him of) and Raikkonen at the end trying to close down the leaders. All this on a circuit previously ridiculed for its tendency to produce dull races. Not this time around!

Post by **Nuppiz** » 13 May 2012, 19:48

The pitlane fire was on MTV3's Sports News on the telly moments ago. Included a bit of footage showing the small chaos which ensued at the moment of the fire, and also pointed out that Maldonado took part in the rescue himself by carrying out a kid from the box on his shoulders.

Nine people were sent to medical checkups, with five still in the hospital.