Final F1 race of the season.

Of course everybody knows this already but I am sitting in front of the TV in anticipation ready to go. It starts in five minutes! I am going to enjoy this one!

Tivo is my friend. I hardly ever watch them live. In this country it is fairly easy to not hear any spoilers even if I watch the race days later.

I get the delayed coverage in about 1.5 hours time over here. I usually fall asleep before the finish, though.

I was excited to be able to watch it for once. Rolled out of bed and turned on Speed. Did miss the first 3 laps though, making me wish I got up earlier.

I watched it in close to real time for once. I was about 40 minutes behind real time by the end. Good season.

Damn you Vitaly Petrov! Damn you Vettel!

not that I am bitter or anything...

The right guy won.

stroker wrote: The right guy won.

False

dankspeed wrote:

stroker wrote: The right guy won.

False

Agreed.

dankspeed wrote:

stroker wrote: The right guy won.

False

I dunno..for all his crash-tastic behavior in mid-season, Vettel really cleaned up his act for Brazil and AbDab. All Alonzo had to do was finish on the podium in a race for which he'd qualified 3rd. Personally, I think Vettel earned it.

And as a Hamilton fan, I'll bet Lewis can't sleep tonight as he thinks about his mistake at Monza..

Winning a race from pole does not a champion make.

I think I saw Vettel attempt to pass....maybe 4 cars all season...and in two of them, he botched it...Badly!

Ferrari's pit strategy was terrible. Totally wasn't expecting Vettel to get it, thought he was a long shot. Thought Alonso or Webber had a better chance.

In other news, Williams dumped Hulkenburg...

Platinum90 wrote: Winning a race from pole does not a champion make. I think I saw Vettel attempt to pass....maybe 4 cars all season...and in two of them, he botched it...Badly!

While I'm a hamilton fan, the rules say quite otherwise.

Especaially since that's the major requirement, and your main rival screws the pooch.

Platinum90 wrote: Winning a race from pole does not a champion make.

So just how bad does one have to be at qualifying to be a true champion?

Platinum90 said: Winning a race from pole does not a champion make...

He must feel the downforce flowing through him..

DukeOfUndersteer wrote: Ferrari's pit strategy was terrible. Totally wasn't expecting Vettel to get it, thought he was a long shot. Thought Alonso or Webber had a better chance. In other news, Williams dumped Hulkenburg...

yeah, I was fairly sure they were going to let Webber have a go at it rather than let each run their own race, but then again, watching the race, Webber was a bit off the pace and had trouble keeping up with Alonso, who to my knowledge never managed to get around a wet-behind-the-ears newbie in a Renault who was holding him up quite a bit. I did want Webber to win it initially, but damn, Vettel did a good job and he did bring STR Ferrari (Red Bull jr. team) their first pole and win in '08, Red Bull Racing their first pole and win in '09, Red Bull Racing their first constructor's championship this year as well, so it's almost appropriate that he get the driver's championship. I'm not saying Webber didn't deserve the title, by all means he did and if he had won it I would be cheering for him, but given how much Vettel has done for RBR and STR Ferrari, to say he wasn't the right man to win the world title is more than a little bit degrading to him.

as for Williams dropping Hulkenburg, if I were running that team, I would not have dropped the kid who gave my team its first pole by over a second since '05, that just seems a bit silly. yeah, he didn't manage to maintain that pole and was down to 2nd by turn 1, but still, he did line up beside one of the best chassis in F1 at the moment (the RB26) with one hell of a driver behind the wheel

Slyp_Dawg wrote: but still, he did line up beside one of the best chassis in F1 at the moment (the RB26) with one hell of a driver behind the wheel.

Not to be a stickler, but this is an RB6

THIS is an RB26...

I knew I got something slightly wrong... proofreading is my friend, proofreading is my friend...

is it highly sacrilegious and wrong that I just thought about how an RB6 would handle a RB26 tuned to ~1000hp?

Will wrote:

Platinum90 wrote: Winning a race from pole does not a champion make.

So just how bad does one have to be at qualifying to be a true champion?

I don't think this is quite what I said, and you are twisting my words.

Yes, he did well in qualifying, stunningly well. Would he have done quite so well in any other car? Probably not. Nothing that I have seen from him would indicate that he is head and shoulders above anyone else on the grid. He never quite made me gasp with amazement.

Again, how many successful passes did he execute? 50%? Thats worse than Shaq's free throw percentage.

Obviously a champion needs to be quick under qualifying circumstances, but it is also necessary to maintain a pace and be able to execute passes when they are needed.

Platinum90 wrote: Winning a race from pole does not a champion make.

Well, I think evidence would suggest that it does. Qualifying is of paramount importance, and will continue to be until Bernie removes the wings.

Platinum90 wrote: Winning a race from pole does not a champion make. I think I saw Vettel attempt to pass....maybe 4 cars all season...and in two of them, he botched it...Badly!

Yeah, that's true..but I still think that has more to do with the aero rules than it does with the drivers. I mean, look at how hard Fernando worked to try to get around Petrov. Did you see how often he crossed the curbs trying to get around in the last 10 laps? Superior driver, and a superior car on a clean air lap..just couldn't get the damn thing to stick when he was close enough to make a move.

I think this is the lesson Vettel learned when he botched those attempts to pass earlier in the season..all that divebombing crap that worked for him in F3 isn't going to work on the modern "slaves of the wind tunnel" that run in F1. Like Streetwise said, until Bernie takes the wings off of `em..to win, get out front, run like mad, and hope the thing holds together. Especially when you're in the best chassis (and I'm as surprised as anyone else that the Red Bull car was better than the assembled might of Ferrari & McLaren).

And I say this as someone who's not Sebastian's biggest fan, either. But..the rules are the rules, the cars are the cars, and sometimes..

"That's just racin'."

friedgreencorrado wrote: And I say this as someone who's not Sebastian's biggest fan, either. But..the rules are the rules, the cars are the cars, and sometimes.. "That's just racin'."

QFT...........

Vettel's a damn good driver in the best (currently) car. He and the team earned the championships as much as any other contender would have.

You'll not find much sympathy (from me) that Alonso/Ferrari and Webber/RBR gambled and lost on a poorly thought-out pit strategy. But Kubica, Petrov and Renault get major kudos for their collective efforts - bravo!

Okay, yes, the aero rules are to blame, but I still say that it was completely driver error when he ran into Mark and took himself out

The guy who really won this year was Adrian Newey. That guy is the one that deserves props!

I wanted Webber to win as well, but Vettel is one seriously fast driver.

The fact you are somehow trying to take away the fact the guy was on pole TEN TIMES this year is laughable.

"Oh well he didn't have to pass anybody."

Well maybe if anyone was as fast as he was to begin with............but I suspect you'll argue this to the end judging by the amount of posts in this thread already.

I'll just be happy that the Tifosi aren't!

If his reliability hadn't been terrible this year, it's likely he would have RAN away with the title. Bahrain and Korea alone cost him what, 35 points?