^dohh....that sucks.

 

Sauber was faster than McLaren in every way. during wet session and even towards the end when track was nearly dry, Perez was trading fast laps with Alonso. Perez would have taken Alonso if he didn't have that mistake towards the end or had a few more laps.

McLaren pit crew kept messing up left and right, but i don't think it would have helped either way. they just didn't have the race pace to keep up. what a great race.

Good looking nose:1, Ugly nose:1

 

Couldn't have summarized it better...GG is hurting so I won't pore any more salt into the wound...that would constitute torture...no matter what happens hereafter, my season is a total success...if they get another podium, 2011 season will B even sweeter...serve up some Banzai chicken please for my next course...even the old man got chocked up...tears flowing after win...me I was drunk!

Later, Ken

 

Perez definitely would've won the race if he didn't make that mistake at the end, theres no way anyone can challenge that. He was at least a second a lap quicker than Alonso, was 0.8 seconds behind him and there was still 6 laps left. Really impressed by Sauber this weekend, amazing strategy and a quick car. Big win for Alonso as well, he drove a great race, probably going to be his only win this year though...

I gotta say that was one of the best races I've seen since Canada last year.

 

"Pore" away. Seriously though, where's the confidence? "If they get another podium?!?!" Just keep a watchful eye on weather.com, and I'm sure they'll have a great chance at it during the next event with an ish ton of rain.

 

Aargh, I didn't set my DVD recorder long enough to anticipate the red flag. Had to re-record the race as the recorder stopped recording on lap 46.

Well, it certainly was McLaren's race to lose. They really had things their way at the beginning of the race. That rain and those horrible pit stops really ruined the day and kept the beautiful nose cars out of first and second place.

I was really ticked when Grosjean hit Michael. Michael got off to a slow start, but was still doing well. After that, Michael finished his usual self. What is really surprising is how lousy Rosberg is doing doing. He looked totally hapless today.

Another big surprise is how poorly Vettel is doing. He definitely was not on form today. While Webber did better, I wonder where the magic has gone? I am sure Red Bull will get its act together this season, but they sure are off to a slow start.

What can one say about Sergio Perez? Simply amazing. And, unlike his teammate Kobay, who seems to want to mimic Dale Earnhardt Jr., he is an incredible talent. Should we be surprised if he moves to Ferrari yet this season?

Lastly, Alonso drove an incredible race. He should never be counted out. Quite frankly, I have never been able to stomach the guy. I have bled Ferrari red for years, but Alonso turned me off from supporting Ferrari. Still, Alonso is a magnificent driver and Ferrari will have to be encouraged by the result. Who would have thunk that he would be leading the championship after 2 races?

This season is shaping up to be the best in years and years. So much talent, so many good cars, it is anyone's guess who will win the championship this year. My money is on McLaren, but time will tell.

 

no more magic car, that's why. guess vettel can only race by himself.
nah, i think he's a good racer, there's a lot more race this season for everyone to show their true color. although we already know what massa's color is, and it ain't going to be RED.

 

^ I have been reading rumors [and only rumors], that there will be a swap between Massa and Perez. I had forgotten that Massa had started with Sauber, so it would seem natural for him to go back there. Not sure how Sauber would feel about the whole deal, but I am sure Ferrari can wave enough green at the team to make it happen. Given how well the Sauber is doing, I am almost not sure if it would be the right move for Perez to go to Ferrari. We may just have another Vettel here and I am glad that finally there is a Mexican worthy of Pedro Rodriguez, a tremendous talent if ever there was one.

 

I think we can credit Alonso's victory as much to his team's stellar pit calls and pit work as to his driving. If he had not jumped cars in his first two pit stops, Perez would have easily walked away with the victory.
- So I'd have to say the drive of the day has to go to Perez with Alonso's effort a close second.
- Been a while since I've seen a team shoot themselves in the foot like McLaren did today. Their pitstops were horrendous, a poor race by Button and a solid drive by Hamilton.
- Vettel/Karthikeyan incident all Vettel's fault, IMO. Should have left more room
- Grosjean better check himself before he wrecks himself (again)
- One more lackluster race by Massa (especially if it's in dry conditions) and he's done at Ferrari, IMO
- Great drives by Kimi and Bruno as well

After today's race, I'm beginning to wonder if the 107% rule shouldn't maybe be tweaked to something like a 105% rule. The HRT's are really nothing more than moving roadblocks.

l8r)

 

Couldn't stand Grosjean back in 09' thought he might've matured a bit by now but 2 races in a row he's gotten into contact with another driver because he doesn't seem to know when he is beaten, Maldonado had him in Australia and Michael had him today. He needs to mature and realize that he's only a rookie, not an F1 superstar.

Really disappointed with Rosberg, he didn't even run into any trouble and he still finished behind Michael. I kinda feel like Rosberg gives up if he's the slower car on track.

 

This race can't B anything but a big dissappointment for Merc...Schumi gets 3rd in Qualy and yet struggles to get a single point at the end...what is wrong?...Ans.: Tires degredation...this car eats up tires but there is something else even more troubling...this from Rosberg: "[With] the first inters I had to come into the pits because I thought my rear tyre was game over completely. So I come into the pits, put a new set of inters on and the pit crew said to me that my inters were brand new still, so I thought, what is going on? They felt completely destroyed. It was strange." So Merc has some homework to do on tire performance in their car bc single fast laps in Qualy ain't doen it in the race.

Later, Ken

 

Agreed. I was extremely disappointed when Lotus chose him to team up with Kimi. I would rather have had Petrov. As for Rosberg, I too agree that he seems to lose heart when he is not doing very well. Quite frankly, I have never been a Rosberg fan. He certainly does not have the talent that his father Keke had.

 

Now that was a race! Love it when it rains and then drys out again... Always puts on the best show when we have changing conditions.

I too had to DVR the race from the re-air in the afternoon, stupid red flag. My DVR stopped on lap 30.

As far as the finishers go... I am not an Alonso fan (I do love Ferrari), but that guy is bar far the best driver on the grid (IMO). He man handled that thing to victory yesterday. The good pit stops did help but he's the one that had to hang on the POS that is the F2012 for all those laps to bring it home. I would have liked to of seen Perez at least challenge him in a couple of corners but oh well, he drove an amazing race as well, and a P2 is huge for him and Sauber.

 

Oh yeah, and Roman def hit Schumi. I love how he tried claiming it was the other way around... The replay clearly shows it.

 

Since the Malaysian GP, all the Italian fans and others have been calling for Massa's head. They argue that because he lagged way behind Alonso that he is just not worthy to continue in Ferrari red. But one of the Brazilian correspondents suggests another cause: "...he is the one experimenting with new components at the two races so far...And in some of this testing there was so little downforce on the car that it explains fully his difficulties...But they (Ferrari) are not making this clear [to the public]..." Now one could say this guy is biased, being Brazilian, and is just making excuses for Massa's relatively poor performance. However, I would not put it past Ferrari to use Massa for Alonso's gain...their second driver is just that, an offering to their #1 driver... fodder for his improved performance. Yes, yes, I hear the howls in the background...talk about biase and so on... Yes, it is true, I am not a member of the tifosi fan boy club...That said, if this allegation is true, IMHO this policy of using one driver at the expense of another is counter to the "sport of gentlemen".

Later, Ken