Canadian GP: Winners & Losers + Conclusions

[vcs316]

It was an epic encounter, with heroes and villains, late race muggings and no groundhogs were killed in the making of this race...

Star of the Race
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1st
Hamilton drove a far more controlled race than usual - he had to, given the propensity of the tyre to become "a lovely Wensleydale, Grommit" halfway round the circuit. Despite being given a strategy that depended on an early Safety Car (and not getting one) he pulled his McLaren through to win. Clearly both he and Jenson could put in fastest laps at will, depending on how much they wanted to take out of their tyres at any one time, so it was a day for patience. There was just that one Taz moment when he came out of the pits with Fernando and you thought "for pity's sake, let Alonso go, you're not going to win that one". And he did.

It would have been so much easier for Hamilton to sit behind Webber when he caught him at the end, but Lewis went straight on through. When Button got past Alonso he edged out an unassailable gap on chewed up old tyres.

Overtaking Move of the Race
Lap 56: Jenson Button, McLaren, on Fernando Alonso, Ferrari for P2
Felipe Massa also did a cheeky little move on Adrian Sutil when they came across a backmarker, which was reminiscent of his double overtake into the Casino Hairpin of a couple of years ago. However he and Sutil were nose to tail at the time.

Button came from over a second back to sweep past Alonso as the Ferrari misjudged his closing speed on Chandhok's Hispania and Button pounced. It was such an unexpected move that F1 TV didn't even realise it had happened till afterwards and had to review all the tapes to get it on screen.

As for Jenson's race it showed the virtue of patience that maybe Michael Schumacher could have learnt from. When Mark Webber came past him on Lap 5, Jenson was still in front, Mark was about the same distance behind the McLaren as he was behind Vettel when Vettel moved over on him.

Button bowed to the inevitable, braked early and let him through. Had he tried to contest the corner with a bit of Schumi/Kubica rallycross then he would probably have thrown away what proved to be a P2 finish.

Winners

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 3rd
Outwardly he looked a bit grumpy but that was just Fernando masking his inner delirium at finishing on the podium. As he said, after being such a long way back in Turkey this was a Re-sult! And yes it was true, he could easily have won it if he hadn't been held up on Lap 27 and that would have made it a Re-sult and a half.

From battling with the No. 2 Renault driver to watching the Red Bulls in his mirrors is quite a turn round from race to race and something that gives us hope for the rest of the season.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 6th
Nico recovered from a poor start to keep his car away from most of the conflict and also the cameras.

Robert Kubica, Renault, 7th
Kubica entering the pitlane at speed in front of Sutil was one of those - I can't quite believe I've just seen that - moments. He was reprimanded for it, because it had all the portents of being like a Scalextric crossover track piece where the cars swap lanes and hit each other.

It would have been interesting to know how much performance Robert lost from his front wing damage (for further discussion of the rallycross section of the race see below) and hence the ultimate power of the Renault on the Circuit Gilles.

Sebastian Buemi, Toro Rosso, 8th
Buemi led the race for one fleeting lap and capitalised on having the right tyres on his car at the start.

Force Indias, 9th and 10th
Liuzzi was too optimistic at the start at the start and paid a heavy price for it. Sutil was more measured against Kubica but was the victim of some bad luck - he could have been 6th or 7th but for that puncture. In the end they stole some points after mugging an old man on the final lap, but it must have been a roller-coaster ride in the garage.

Rubens Barrichello, Williams
He may have got another of his dodgy starts (those pesky clutch bite points - what ARE they like?) and he may have finished in a remote Himalayan village of a position in the race, but on Lap 59 he completed his 15,000th lap of a grand prix, which is a pretty good milestone. Pity he still hasn't learnt how to get the car off the line.

Former team-mate Schumi also beat Riccardo Patrese's 255 GP starts. No mean feat, given that Michael's got potentially another two-and-a-half seasons to go.

F1
The Canadian GP was the perfect advert for the sport. Not only was it a great race, it was a sold-out race. Not even Monaco was sold out this year. With the new American GP in Austin, Texas, Montreal will still be the destination of choice for north North American F1 fans. Spa, Suzuka, Silverstone, Monza, Monaco and Montreal should be rubber-stamped into any F1 calendar.

Losers

Red Bull Strategy/Reliability
Going into the weekend they probably thought they were only going to be looking at third or fourth place - so fourth and fifth shouldn't really be enough to set them in the Losers column...?

The fact is they lost two gearboxes over the weekend - one on Mark's car that showed up in the Saturday oil analysis, and one on Seb's car that almost put him out of the race (plus a new clutch and steering wheel for Vettel in parc ferme). Had Felipe Massa not carved into Tonio Liuzzi (and vice versa) and had Michael been a bit more even tempered about letting Kubica through, then they might have been staring at seventh and eighth.

Michael Schumacher
Martin Brundle said he drove "appallingly" and he certainly didn't make any friends out there. Going into Turn 1 it looked like he hit Kubica up the rear (later in the race when Sutil was following him, you could see something swinging around at the back of Kubica's car).

The incident with Kubica when he emerged from the pits was hard to comprehend from a driver of Michael's experience. Kubica was coming through on warm tyres and had the line on the inside. He needed to be given some room at least but was put on the grass. Had Robert done a Petrov then and slewed his car (into the barriers) it could have been Olivier Panis's accident all over again.

As it transpired at the next corner, trying to go through a turn side-by side saw them both across the grass and Michael get a puncture from it, so it not only looked bad for Michael, it was self-destructive to boot.

With Massa he sustained no damage but Felipe was closing so quickly and Schumi's tyres were going off so fast that it wouldn't have hurt Michael to just let him go instead of blocking him on the straight.

Finally with the Force Indias he got severely mugged on the final lap, though Liuzzi probably thought it was justified having been kept behind by virtue of the Mercedes missing the final chicane to keep in front of him.

Felipe Massa
Given the unpunished antics of some of those on track it was slightly bizarre that Massa should end up with one of the worst a 20-second penalty for braking the pitlane speed limit by 3mph. "More sinned against than sinning" would be the theme of his GP. At first sight it looked like he was trying to crowd Jenson Button out at the start, but the replays showed that Liuzzi tried a move that was never going to come off into Turn 1 and the Force India should have settled back and accepted P6.

Massa got a lightning start and drove some phenomenally quick laps to put himself into contention along with a bit of cheeky opportunism to get past Sutil. It would have been interesting to ride with a number of cars for the entire race and Felipe was one of them. Getting put off the road by a man you admire is not a great way to end the race, but it was a hell of a journey.

Ron Dennis
It was good to see Ron back at the track in Montreal. Unfortunately they switched the microphone on and ruined it.

Safety Car Fans
We were on a promise and look what happened. There was a 75% chance of a Safety Car but we all knew that once we'd played out the Kamui Kobayashi card, it was less and less likely. Michael tried his best for us. Massa and Liuzzi had their moments and you can never discount Petrov, but no, a Safety Car free race. We'll have eight in Valencia.

Andrew Davies(PF1)

[vcs316]

Instead of repeating the obvious plaudits for Lewis, don't forget to give credit to Jenson and Fernando. On another day...

McLaren Have The Edge. If Only For Now
Tis the season of the quickly forgotten. Monaco, scene of Red Bull dominance and the prompter of 2010 obituaries, already seems like months ago. Bahrain? Was that really this year? F1 is a sport based on speed, but rarely, if ever, has it moved as quickly as this.

First it was Fernando Alonso to be billed as favourite for the title. Then it was Sebastian Vettel. Then Mark Webber. And now, as the fifth different driver to top the standings this year after eight events, it's Lewis Hamilton's turn. The balance of power seems to be shifting with every race. At present, the advantage rests with McLaren and Hamilton has the momentum, but there are mere fractions separating the three front-running teams. Even after consecutive one-twos for Macca, what's the betting on a Ferrari victory in Valencia and a Red Bull romp in Silverstone?

They could certainly do with the fillip. The post-Monaco concern that the Bulls had propelled themselves into a league of their own making has given way to the worry that they might have already missed their time. Both McLaren, expected to deliver another radical upgrade for Silverstone and to find Valencia to their liking, and Ferrari have evidently beaten the Bulls in the latest stage of the ongoing Development War. Nor do their problems end there. Seb Vettel is still off colour, reliability woes are becoming habitual, the mud of Turkey will stick for a while yet, and their tyre gamble this weekend backfired to costly effect.

Who'd be a team principal? Christian Horner must have been tearing his hair out on the pitwall when Vettel, supposed to nursing his stricken car to the end of the race, demanded to be informed what time had been set as the fastest lap of the race. Responsibility is a strength that he still lacks and his youthful age is no excuse. Can anyone imagine Fernando Alonso asking after the fastest lap in an identical situation when he was 22? In the circumstances of Red Bull's current predicament, Horner's response of "Don't even think about it" was admirably restrained.

Jenson Is A Fair Match For Lewis On Race Day
As the plaudits for the outstanding Lewis will be both bountiful and comprehensive, a word or two instead for Jenson Button. It is an entirely subjective viewpoint, but the World Champion is impressing more so this season than he did in his title campaign. Even in the wake of consecutive victories for Hamilton, it should not be overlooked that Jenson finished scarcely a second behind Lewis in both races. The distance between them at the finishing line was no more than the distance between them at the start of both races when Hamilton began on the front row and Button from fourth. He is only losing out to Hamilton on the Sundays because of the scale of his defeats on Saturday.

Yet that is not to diminish Hamilton's race performance, either. His move past Alonso was the equal of Button's and the critical lap in their in-house battle occurred with six remaining when, having been told over the radio that "Jenson has Fernando just behind him so is pushing hard", he responded with the fastest lap of the race on tyres that had already churned out more than 20 circuits. So much for the notion that Hamilton is incapable of nursing his tyres. Is it a skill that he has developed this term from close study of his team-mate's driving habits? Maybe. Even if not, it looks as if both drivers have promoted the other to a new level.

The Worst Drive Of Schumi's Career? Maybe
Oh Schumi! Even the die-hards will have a job defending his defending in Montreal. The first refusal to yield was splendid; a reminder that the old boy's competitive spirit still burns as strong as ever. The second refusal, with Robert Kubica pushed on to the grass, crossed a literal and metaphorical line. The third, which saw Felipe Massa almost shunted into the wall, crossed the line from naughty to dangerous. There are only so many front wings one driver can put out of joint in a single race without the weight of evidence itself presenting a convincing case for the prosecution.

Schumacher's return has given the season an extra zest, just not in the way that anyone - including the man himself - could have expected. With Mercedes' pace moderate, the role he has assumed is not that of frontrunner but pantomime villain. Not that Sunday ended as a laughing matter. Martin Brundle described Schumacher's performance as the worst of his career.

Ferrari Are Back In The Hunt
The pain of defeat for Fernando Alonso will be alleviated by the relief of Ferrari's advance. After a torrid weekend in Turkey, both Alonso and Felipe Massa had sufficient pace to take victory in Montreal. McLaren have the momentum, but Ferrari might have made their breakthrough. This one got away from Fernando but at least his team are back in the hunt for victories ahead of F1's return to his homeland.

Nonetheless, Alonso's irritation with backmarkers was both palpable and vocal on Sunday night. The Spaniard was overtaken by both McLaren drivers as he passed a slower vehicle and, less obviously, Alonso was also badly hampered by an unidentified backmarker during his final lap before taking his last pit-stop. Having just set the two fastest laps of the race after being released by Hamilton pitting first, the delay meant that the McLaren driver was able to return to the track ahead of his one-time team-mate. "I lost 2.5secs passing another car and I exited the pits 0.5secs behind Lewis," remarked Alonso. "It was a race decided by small details." It so often is in F1.

Listen Out For Legard's Ticking Clock
It's like being stuck in a room with a ticking clock. As soon as you become aware of the tick-tock, it's impossible not to hear it. Sorry to stick you into F1's version of Room 101, but just try listening to the utterly charmless Jonathan Legard during the next race without hearing him make commentary by citing "what everyone was saying", or "lots people", or just "people" in general. It's particularly aggravating because the things he generally claims are said by "everyone" were practically said by nobody.

It Helps When There's A Few Million In The Bank, But...
The unfamiliar sight of a cheerful Ron Dennis is a smiling advertisement for the wonders of early retirement.

Pete Gill(PF1)

[DIEK]

Ron Dennis
It was good to see Ron back at the track in Montreal. Unfortunately they switched the microphone on and ruined it.

What was what he said?

[Hermann]

What was what he said?

"We were racing Fernando."

[Alessandra]

"We were racing Fernando."

Perhaps that would explain Fernando's thunderous looks at the end of the race, it is after all exactly what Dennis said at the end of the 2007 final GP which gave Kimi the DWC title, "We were so busy racing Alonso we didn't notice Kimi coming up" or words to that effect. It also gave the lie to the McLaren pretence that both drivers were given equality ( support) in that season.

Or am I missing the joke?

[Hermann]

Perhaps that would explain Fernando's thunderous looks at the end of the race, it is after all exactly what Dennis said at the end of the 2007 final GP which gave Kimi the DWC title, "We were so busy racing Alonso we didn't notice Kimi coming up" or words to that effect. It also gave the lie to the McLaren pretence that both drivers were given equality ( support) in that season.

Or am I missing the joke?

Yes.

[justjesper]

I personally think Michael drove a good race.
He hit Kubica in the first corner, but there was an accident in front of them.
The second incident with Kubica was great. they didn't touch and Kubica could not even make the corner himself.
He's in a car that does not deliver and people might say but his teammate, He did not run into the same incidents as Michael did.

Massa was really fast, and I think he would had been right up there in the front had it not been for the first corner incident.
A good race also for Alonso, just wish he could look just a little happy on the podium and at the press conference. Why was he so mad ?

[Hermann]

Because he could have won the race without those backmarker incidents? And maybe because he didn't like the other two on the podium- especially not in front of him.

[Tifosi]

I personally think Michael drove a good race.

The second incident with Kubica was great. they didn't touch and Kubica could not even make the corner himself.

MS couldn't make the corner you mean! He went for a corner that Kubica already had and had to damage his car to avoid a collision. How is that wise driving?

He's in a car that does not deliver and people might say but his teammate, He did not run into the same incidents as Michael did.

He was compromised by being on the softer tyre was the issue. He was a sitting duck and yet he opted for colliding with people rather than facing the fact he should have let them go. Just made him look a bit daft really. Moving back on Massa was just a daft thing to do too.

A good race also for Alonso, just wish he could look just a little happy on the podium and at the press conference. Why was he so mad ?

I think cos the backmarkers prolly cost him a win. That would hack me off

[Greig]

If that is a good race for MS then his standards really have lowered

[Agron]

I personally think Michael drove a good race.
He hit Kubica in the first corner, but there was an accident in front of them.
The second incident with Kubica was great. they didn't touch and Kubica could not even make the corner himself.
He's in a car that does not deliver and people might say but his teammate, He did not run into the same incidents as Michael did.

Massa was really fast, and I think he would had been right up there in the front had it not been for the first corner incident.
A good race also for Alonso, just wish he could look just a little happy on the podium and at the press conference. Why was he so mad ?

The fact you think it was a good race for Michael says all we need to know about you really XD; at least you are right about him running into incidents, he almost crashes both Kubica and Massa; who again I agree with you, could have been higher, although MS breaking his car when he was fighting for points didn't help.
And finally about Fernando, he isn't a bit more happy because he is a winner, just because you are happy doesn't mean him or someone who supports him should be happy about that result.

[Alessandra]

Yes.

Damn

[Suzie]

Michael drove a good race?! If he was a rookie, it wouldn't have been regarded as a good race.

[justjesper]

The Massa incident : Even Ferrari said that Massa got caught out because of Michael's bad tires, He had to break a bit earlier.
So is Ferrari Lying ?

If running in to incidents like the first corner one, makes you a bad driver, well then there is a lot of really bad drivers in F1.
Michael was still in front of kubica, why should he stop fighting ?

[Greig]

The Massa incident : Even Ferrari said that Massa got caught out because of Michael's bad tires, He had to break a bit earlier.
So is Ferrari Lying ?

Clearly to anyone that actually seen it, yes they were lying, did you see it at all or just read about it?

Him running Kubica onto the grass at the pitstops was just usual MS, once we would have to defend it, now we can just admit he was in the wrong

[Tifosi]

The Massa incident : Even Ferrari said that Massa got caught out because of Michael's bad tires, He had to break a bit earlier.
So is Ferrari Lying ?

Did you not see it? He moved over also!

If running in to incidents like the first corner one, makes you a bad driver, well then there is a lot of really bad drivers in F1.

Who said that was anything to do with him having a bad race?

Michael was still in front of kubica, why should he stop fighting ?

...because he didn't have the corner - a fact he realised after it was too late - compromising his own race by damaging his car. It was a bad move. simple as.

[CurdaNeta]

I personally think Michael drove a good race.
He hit Kubica in the first corner, but there was an accident in front of them.
The second incident with Kubica was great. they didn't touch and Kubica could not even make the corner himself.
He's in a car that does not deliver and people might say but his teammate, He did not run into the same incidents as Michael did.

Massa was really fast, and I think he would had been right up there in the front had it not been for the first corner incident.
A good race also for Alonso, just wish he could look just a little happy on the podium and at the press conference. Why was he so mad ?

Man! you don't even comment on MS losing Massa 1 point! how's that a good race???

I'm sorry to say this but MS is OLD! and it's starting to show...

[justjesper]

Clearly to anyone that actually seen it, yes they were lying, did you see it at all or just read about it?

Him running Kubica onto the grass at the pitstops was just usual MS, once we would have to defend it, now we can just admit he was in the wrong

Hi Greig. Good to see your always happy responses.
I did see it thank you. and I can see it again a million times if I want to.
I guess your replying like this as you have the insight info such as telemetry to back up your comment.

So Ferrari is lying, interesting.

Here I was actually giving your favorite driver a Compliment and you just start trowing mud as always. Please give your self a 2 hour timeout for not respecting people in the forum.

[Greig]

Hi Greig. Good to see your always happy responses.
I did see it thank you. and I can see it again a million times if I want to.
I guess your replying like this as you have the insight info such as telemetry to back up your comment.

So Ferrari is lying, interesting.

Here I was actually giving your favorite driver a Compliment and you just start trowing mud as always. Please give your self a 2 hour timeout for not respecting people in the forum.

Ferrari is lying? show me the comments from Ferrari, Rob was interviewed after the race and the BBC put it to him that MS brake tested Massa, clearly this was not the case, as he simply moved over on him in the braking zone, which is a no no, but you know that, as you seen it right? Anyway Rob said there was no brake test, he did not mention the weave because he was not asked, this interview I guess is your source, unless you can show me other comments from Felipe or Stefano, both of whom as far as I read just mention it as a incident, Ferrari in their race report said Massa was the victim of Schumacher.

Throwing mud? Schumacher was a disgrace on Sunday and for you to come on here and say he had a good race is just laughable, a good race that cost Ferrari points, maybe you should post on a MS forum. He did the same with Kubica and put him on the grass, or maybe you never seen that as well

[justjesper]

Man! you don't even comment on MS losing Massa 1 point! how's that a good race???

I'm sorry to say this but MS is OLD! and it's starting to show...

If what Ferrari is saying is true ( according to Greig Ferrari is lying, for what reason Ferrari would start lying about this I have no idea, but I'm sure Greig has the answer ) then Michael did not cause Massa the 1 point.
If you know me you would know that I rather had Massa win all the races. I'm a big fan.
I was commenting of the Journalists who said that MS drove a bad race, and to that I say he didn't.

[Suzie]

Sorry but you are the only person I have read on any forum saying MS had a good race. Maybe you should take the rose tinted spectacles off when it comes to him - as a lot of us have finally had to. Even without his race in Canada I don't see how any fan can hand on heart say this comeback has been a good idea.

[justjesper]

No what I said was that it was not Bad.

[Greig]

And denied he moved across the track to take Massa's front wing off, sure thing He got schooled and could not take it, pretty usual MS tactics

[Suzie]

No what I said was that it was not Bad.

So it wasn't good OR bad? Mediocre?

[justjesper]

Clearly to anyone that actually seen it, yes they were lying,

Here is your own words Greig. So Ferrari is lying according to your self.

[Greig]

Here is your own words Greig. So Ferrari is lying according to your self.

LOL you told us Ferrari said Massa got caught out due to early breaking by MS, post the source of that please, not the Rob comments as they were not right and the BBC spoonfed the interview, I took your word for it, and said they must be lying, but since you have not yet posted the Ferrari comments about early breaking I shall twiddle my thumbs until you do. So if you can show me Ferrari comments saying early braking caused it, then yes they will be lying, but you won't post any.

If you are saying MS did not move across on Massa, then you are lying

[justjesper]

Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley said: "I think that Michael had to possibly brake a little bit early as his tyres were not great - much earlier than Felipe was expecting and he drove into the back of him."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/moto...ne/8738074.stm

[Greig]

As I said, the Rob interview was right after the race, he had clearly not really seen it and the BBC spoonfed him the brake testing line Don't you see Rob was wrong with his comments right after the race? Felipe clearly did not drive into the back of MS, you have seen it, you know that, how could Rob say that if he had seen it properly....you make me laugh. The BBC then went to Brawn and told him Ferrari was claiming MS brake tested Felipe, when Ferrari did no such thing, but hey ho.

Show me Ferrari's comments, Stefano and Felipe saying anything about it being a brake test or early breaking, please

[justjesper]

If you are saying MS did not move across on Massa, then you are lying

I'm getting tired of you Greig. When did I ever say that ?
This is what you always do you keep saying that we all need to back op what we say with facts. but if you get caught in not having the facts you trow a new ball.

I never said Ferrari was lying. YOU DID.

[Greig]

I'm getting tired of you Greig. When did I ever say that ?
This is what you always do you keep saying that we all need to back op what we say with facts. but if you get caught in not having the facts you trow a new ball.

I never said Ferrari was lying. YOU DID.

So you admit MS moved across the track in the braking zone and damaged Felipe's front wing, in that case we both agree the comments from Rob (not Ferrari) were wrong, and I have explained to you why they are wrong, I watched it happen as the BBC tried to create something. Massa did not get caught out by early braking, he was not behind MS when he braked, Massa did not run into the back of MS, he was on the outside of him, MS did move across the track and damaged the front wing of Massa, saying otherwise is wrong.