We learned that young Sebastian Vettel does have a rare talent, which is growing every race. He was head and shoulders above everyone else in qualifying and the race. He is the new ‘young Schumi’.
We also ‘learned’ what many had suspected – the ‘old Schumi’ Michael Schumacher no longer has the superior skills he had before. Race craft, yes, but sheer controlled aggression, no. His driving, with cars around him, was timorous. He was no longer that towering force and the ability to act immediately to all conditions was not in evidence. He should retire. It was a brave move to return. It will be an even braver move to admit defeat and retire with dignity.
Overtaker of the race? Kamui Kobayashi without a doubt. 24th to 10th including an extra stop for collision damage. He’s got the grin, all he needs now is a scarf – he is today’s version of the Bentley Boys, racing for the enjoyment of it all. “It was a lot of fun today, I really enjoyed this race. Before the race I had promised Peter (Sauber) to score points today. It is just one point now because we lost so much time due to a puncture, which was the result of touching Sebastien Buemi when I overtook him. Otherwise I think I could have finished seventh and score more points.” You’ve got to love this guy.
Nico Rosberg is obviously a good driver as his third position after qualifying shows, and he is the only hope Mercedes have of scoring points this year (see above item regarding Michael Schumacher).
Some great dices, including McLaren’s Hamilton and Button and a monumental dice between Alonso (Ferrari) and Webber (Red Bull). Both of them deserve accolades. Some fans disagree with the DRS saying it allows for ‘artificial’ passing. Sorry, but the DRS cannot be activated until the chasing car is within one second of the lead car. If the second car can catch the lead car, ergo he is faster, and all the DRS does is make the pass possible. It is not a guaranteed pass, but ends situations like last year when Alonso spent the entire race bottled up behind the (slower) Renault of Petrov.
Way, way down at the wrong end of the grid lie HRT and they remain a joke, I am afraid. Karthikeyan shaking hands with himself for finishing. Such ambition! “I think we should be happy with the fact that today we got another finish under the belt. I got more time in the car which is important, I’ve now finished my second race out of three, so I need to get more comfortable in the car.” What does he want next? A Labrador, pipe and slippers?
After saying how well the Beeb was doing with the televised coverage, the Turkish telecast was no delight. The director could not give the viewers any continuity and it became hard to follow just what was going on, who was where and even the order of the cars. Let us hope the Spanish GP next weekend will be better. The talking heads, Brundle – Coulthard duo were excellent, but let down by the video.
